Scramble for Kampala land swallows Namanve Forest
Apr 19, 2011
THE place known as “Paradise†used to refer to the shores of Lake Victoria sheltered by a lush green wall of trees. This, according to Moses Kalule, a resident near the lakeshore was part of a beautiful expansive forest that would cast its shadows on the shores of the peaceful lake.
By Gerald Tenywa
THE place known as “Paradise†used to refer to the shores of Lake Victoria sheltered by a lush green wall of trees. This, according to Moses Kalule, a resident near the lakeshore was part of a beautiful expansive forest that would cast its shadows on the shores of the peaceful lake.
Kalule, who used to make retreats at Namanve Forest reserve, says the humdrum of the city noise would completely die down.
Today, the situation has totally changed. Two decades ago, Namanve lost a big chunk to an industrial park, which is underway. But the Government took a wise step by reserving 1,200 hectares of the former reserve along the shores of the lake to hold soil and prevent erosion.
The upcoming factories also needed trees to absorb their dirty emissions. But this too is under a fast spreading invasion sparked off by a group claiming to be army veterans.
They say they are landless and have occupied the reserve. They are often heard chanting slogans in praise of the President.
“This place has always been peaceful, but now chaos has engulfed it in the last three months,†the LC defense secretary for Kirinya, Steven Sembatya says.
The invaders, according to Sembatya, seem to be unstoppable because they are parcelling out the reserve and selling to willing buyers most of whom want to settle on land overlooking the lake.
Trees worth billions destroyed
The felled eucalyptus trees bear testimony to the steaming violence that has persisted in the forest since the year started. This is a blow to the tree planters who have since lost billions.
“I toiled to plant the trees hoping that they would bring money and create my start-up capital,†Reuben Arinaitwe, who had planted 10 acres of trees, says.
In addition to the loss of sh500m, which Arinaitwe would have harvested, the tree planters would have saved the country from spending foreign exchange to import electric poles from South Africa.
Tree planters had got permits to plant trees, but within the last three months, things have turned different as the invaders parcel out the land sheltered by the trees.
More than 600 hectares have so far been cleared in Kito, Kirinya, Namataba and Bukasa in Kira Town Council. About 80 people have been planting trees under permits offered by the National Forestry Authority (NFA).
Most of the farmers were planting trees for electricity poles and the proceeds come in different packages. The farmers earn about sh15m per hectare for building poles and sh30m per hectare for fencing poles.
Arinaitwe used to earn sh60m per hectare for growing trees used for electric poles.
How the trouble began
Sources say army veterans were being used by politicians and wealthy people who wanted land under Namanve forest.
Their mission was to make it difficult for the forestry authorities to look after the reserve.
According to the sources, big shots including ministers attempted to grab land under the forest in 2009.
The parliamentary committee on natural resources thwarted the planned takeover when it ordered an investigation. This led to the creation of an inter-ministerial committee which inspected Namanve.
The team observed that Uganda Investment Authority had encroached on part of the reserve. They also noted that Kampala City Council had allocated part of the land meant for a cemetery to a private investor.
The Buganda Kingdom was also demanding for part of the reserve and encouraging farmers to cultivate crops in the claimed part.
NFA was also to hire a registered surveyor and open the boundaries of the reserve in order to clarify the borders of the industrial park and the forest. But the plan was overtaken by events and the recommendations of the inter-ministerial committee were not implemented, according to Stephen Galima, NFA’s lakeshore ranger manager.
In October last year, the environment minister, Maria Mutagamba, wrote to the Ministry of Lands offering the reserve to resettling tenants from the Nakawa-Naguru housing estate and residents of Kisenyi, Katanga and Kivulu slums.
However, before they could take the process through NFA and NEMA to conduct an environment impact assessment study and seek approval for change of land use from Parliament, surveyors from Uganda Land Commission started demarcating plots out of the forest reserve.
This is when tree planters brought the matter to the LC3 chairman, Mamerito Mugerwa and the NFA that their property was being encroached on. Backed by the Police and Mugerwa, NFA arrested the surveyors.
However, Mubbala, the Secretary of the Uganda Land Commission, wrote advising the DPP to drop charges against the suspects who were being held at Kira Police Station. Within this time, a huge chunk of trees neighbouring Kito were chopped down. The Police came out to defend NFA but kept on shifting goal posts. This was followed by rumours that he land had been given free land for all.
Army veterans had a huge banner during Museveni’s campaign at Namboole and at Luzira alleging that NFA and Mugerwa were chasing them away from the land. As this took place, angry residents from Bukasa wondered how “newcomers†(veterans) could get all that land yet they had kept the forest without touching it for decades. They also started selling parts they had taken over. They were allegedly supported by Mugerwa because one of his rivals for the Kiira town mayoral seat was claiming that NFA and Mugerwa were selling their land.
When asked about the eviction of the people illegally occupying Namanve, Mugerwa replied: “People know that this is a forest reserve and they had lived with it for years without encroaching on the land. They stormed the forest in protest. To secure the forest, the veterans have to be evicted.â€
He also pointed out that the name of the President is being used by people to grab the Government property. “It now only takes people, including opposition groups, to put on yellow T-shirts while flashing their thumbs to encroach on the forest,†he adds.
Politics and social issues
According to Sembatya, people are occupying the forest illegally and selling the land, but Mutagamba cannot order an eviction.
“It is depressing to see a minister being abused like a kiosk seller,†he says.
The army veterans attending Mutagamba’s meeting say they were given only sh150,000 when they were leaving the army. They also told Mutagamba that they were landless with families to support.
Mutagamba says the Government has different plans for the land at Namanve. She told them to leave the forest reserve within one week and promised to forward their issues to the President.
THE place known as “Paradise†used to refer to the shores of Lake Victoria sheltered by a lush green wall of trees. This, according to Moses Kalule, a resident near the lakeshore was part of a beautiful expansive forest that would cast its shadows on the shores of the peaceful lake.
Kalule, who used to make retreats at Namanve Forest reserve, says the humdrum of the city noise would completely die down.
Today, the situation has totally changed. Two decades ago, Namanve lost a big chunk to an industrial park, which is underway. But the Government took a wise step by reserving 1,200 hectares of the former reserve along the shores of the lake to hold soil and prevent erosion.
The upcoming factories also needed trees to absorb their dirty emissions. But this too is under a fast spreading invasion sparked off by a group claiming to be army veterans.
They say they are landless and have occupied the reserve. They are often heard chanting slogans in praise of the President.
“This place has always been peaceful, but now chaos has engulfed it in the last three months,†the LC defense secretary for Kirinya, Steven Sembatya says.
The invaders, according to Sembatya, seem to be unstoppable because they are parcelling out the reserve and selling to willing buyers most of whom want to settle on land overlooking the lake.
Trees worth billions destroyed
The felled eucalyptus trees bear testimony to the steaming violence that has persisted in the forest since the year started. This is a blow to the tree planters who have since lost billions.
“I toiled to plant the trees hoping that they would bring money and create my start-up capital,†Reuben Arinaitwe, who had planted 10 acres of trees, says.
In addition to the loss of sh500m, which Arinaitwe would have harvested, the tree planters would have saved the country from spending foreign exchange to import electric poles from South Africa.
Tree planters had got permits to plant trees, but within the last three months, things have turned different as the invaders parcel out the land sheltered by the trees.
More than 600 hectares have so far been cleared in Kito, Kirinya, Namataba and Bukasa in Kira Town Council. About 80 people have been planting trees under permits offered by the National Forestry Authority (NFA).
Most of the farmers were planting trees for electricity poles and the proceeds come in different packages. The farmers earn about sh15m per hectare for building poles and sh30m per hectare for fencing poles.
Arinaitwe used to earn sh60m per hectare for growing trees used for electric poles.
How the trouble began
Sources say army veterans were being used by politicians and wealthy people who wanted land under Namanve forest.
Their mission was to make it difficult for the forestry authorities to look after the reserve.
According to the sources, big shots including ministers attempted to grab land under the forest in 2009.
The parliamentary committee on natural resources thwarted the planned takeover when it ordered an investigation. This led to the creation of an inter-ministerial committee which inspected Namanve.
The team observed that Uganda Investment Authority had encroached on part of the reserve. They also noted that Kampala City Council had allocated part of the land meant for a cemetery to a private investor.
The Buganda Kingdom was also demanding for part of the reserve and encouraging farmers to cultivate crops in the claimed part.
NFA was also to hire a registered surveyor and open the boundaries of the reserve in order to clarify the borders of the industrial park and the forest. But the plan was overtaken by events and the recommendations of the inter-ministerial committee were not implemented, according to Stephen Galima, NFA’s lakeshore ranger manager.
In October last year, the environment minister, Maria Mutagamba, wrote to the Ministry of Lands offering the reserve to resettling tenants from the Nakawa-Naguru housing estate and residents of Kisenyi, Katanga and Kivulu slums.
However, before they could take the process through NFA and NEMA to conduct an environment impact assessment study and seek approval for change of land use from Parliament, surveyors from Uganda Land Commission started demarcating plots out of the forest reserve.
This is when tree planters brought the matter to the LC3 chairman, Mamerito Mugerwa and the NFA that their property was being encroached on. Backed by the Police and Mugerwa, NFA arrested the surveyors.
However, Mubbala, the Secretary of the Uganda Land Commission, wrote advising the DPP to drop charges against the suspects who were being held at Kira Police Station. Within this time, a huge chunk of trees neighbouring Kito were chopped down. The Police came out to defend NFA but kept on shifting goal posts. This was followed by rumours that he land had been given free land for all.
Army veterans had a huge banner during Museveni’s campaign at Namboole and at Luzira alleging that NFA and Mugerwa were chasing them away from the land. As this took place, angry residents from Bukasa wondered how “newcomers†(veterans) could get all that land yet they had kept the forest without touching it for decades. They also started selling parts they had taken over. They were allegedly supported by Mugerwa because one of his rivals for the Kiira town mayoral seat was claiming that NFA and Mugerwa were selling their land.
When asked about the eviction of the people illegally occupying Namanve, Mugerwa replied: “People know that this is a forest reserve and they had lived with it for years without encroaching on the land. They stormed the forest in protest. To secure the forest, the veterans have to be evicted.â€
He also pointed out that the name of the President is being used by people to grab the Government property. “It now only takes people, including opposition groups, to put on yellow T-shirts while flashing their thumbs to encroach on the forest,†he adds.
Politics and social issues
According to Sembatya, people are occupying the forest illegally and selling the land, but Mutagamba cannot order an eviction.
“It is depressing to see a minister being abused like a kiosk seller,†he says.
The army veterans attending Mutagamba’s meeting say they were given only sh150,000 when they were leaving the army. They also told Mutagamba that they were landless with families to support.
Mutagamba says the Government has different plans for the land at Namanve. She told them to leave the forest reserve within one week and promised to forward their issues to the President.