Politicians, give forests a chance!
Nov 05, 2006
SIR — On October 20, the New Vision a story entitled “NFA to blameâ€. It was reported in the story that the RDC of Mukono, Mr Deo Nsereko had said the public should blame the National Forestry Authority (NFA) for the destruction of Mabira Forest.
SIR — On October 20, the New Vision a story entitled “NFA to blameâ€. It was reported in the story that the RDC of Mukono, Mr Deo Nsereko had said the public should blame the National Forestry Authority (NFA) for the destruction of Mabira Forest.
He said this while touring the forest with one Rao, a manager with the Mehta Group. I consider this unfair. Why did the RDC, a representative of the President, visit the forest with Rao when there are people paid by Government to oversee the forest?
The NFA has clearly demonstrated that SCOUL has taken people, including government officials, to enclaves that are privately owned. The RDC, chairs the District Forestry Committee that was set up to fight illegal activities in forest reserves. Until recently this committee has been the most active in fighting illegalities. To shift blame to NFA for all forest degradation would be unfair.
The Government of Uganda is to blame for the degradation not only in Mabira but in all protected areas. This very government started off very well by evicting encroachers in Mabira, South Busoga, Kibale and Mt. Elgon Forest Reserves in 1992 and pioneering the establishment of the Ministry of Environment. However, protection of the environment has slumped drastically and needs to be revamped. Since its establishment two years ago, the NFA has received two directives to stay evictions.
The first directive was in May/June 2005 orchestrated by politicians ahead of election campaigns and the second was in January 2006; just before elections. The directives insulated all illegal activities in the reserves and NFA employees were left haplessly in a dilemma on how to restore the physical and legal integrity of the forest reserves.
Lawlessness ensued and community hostility became rampant and inflamed to a level where any decisive action led to mob action, resulting in grievous bodily harm to the NFA staff. In April, 2006 an NFA staff was assaulted in Nakalanga, Mabira Central Forest Reserve fighting encroachment and later hospitalised in Jinja Hospital.
The culprits are still at large. Quite recently, two motor cycles were vandalised by irate illegal charcoal burners. In May 2006, criminally minded people induced the killing in Mukono, of casual labourers working with NFA’s law enforcement and timber monitoring unit. Their bodies were found by police in Nakifuma. In South Busoga Forest Reserve, one female NFA staff was taken hostage, beaten and cut with a panga.
The Inspector General of Police intervened to restore sanity though the situation is still delicate up to now. Hostilities by encroachers in forest reserves led to abandoning investments in tree planting. Kakira Sugar Works, Nile Ply Ltd and many others have suffered big losses in tree planting in forest reserves due to local politics.
In South Busoga again, encroachers have cut down10 hectares of four- year old trees worth sh120m. They have also burnt two hectares of five-year year old pine trees evaluated at sh10m. In Kibaale District, following the directive to stay eviction in January 2006, an estimated 8,000 new encroachers occupied 13 central forest reserves in the district.
In April, a staff was severely beaten in Kiboga District and left with broken bones and a destroyed motorcycle.
In Luwero District, lawless grazing and cultivating communities have made it difficult for licensed investors in tree-growing to do their work. They routinely destroy their trees by deliberately sending in cattle to graze, setting fire to the planted areas and even directly uprooting tree seedlings.
In September, 46 army veterans invaded Lwamunda Central Forest Reserve near Bujjuuko town and clear-fell 10 hectares of mature natural forests and extracted forest produce worth sh10m.
Whereas NFA has insisted on sticking to restoration of professionalism in the forest sector, it is at crossroads with politics. It is time politicians stopped interferring with forestry issues. The questions to ask are:
Is it the power-saw and the communities that we ought to blame? Did government provide the necessary professional guidance anyway?
Is it an issue of institutional failure? Has NFA and lead institutions been accorded the necessary political support to implement government policy on forestry?
Where are we going? If we removed the power-saw, sensitised the communities, shall we be able to restore our forestry glory? Is there a future for forests when there are elections after every five years?
What is our political-developmental line of pursuit? Are we continuing to give forest reserves to large scale sugarcane or palm oil or any other developer? What then shall we tell the communities that we are luring to leave? Politics should insulate forest resources from harmful exploitation.
Gaster Kiyingi
National Forestry Authority
He said this while touring the forest with one Rao, a manager with the Mehta Group. I consider this unfair. Why did the RDC, a representative of the President, visit the forest with Rao when there are people paid by Government to oversee the forest?
The NFA has clearly demonstrated that SCOUL has taken people, including government officials, to enclaves that are privately owned. The RDC, chairs the District Forestry Committee that was set up to fight illegal activities in forest reserves. Until recently this committee has been the most active in fighting illegalities. To shift blame to NFA for all forest degradation would be unfair.
The Government of Uganda is to blame for the degradation not only in Mabira but in all protected areas. This very government started off very well by evicting encroachers in Mabira, South Busoga, Kibale and Mt. Elgon Forest Reserves in 1992 and pioneering the establishment of the Ministry of Environment. However, protection of the environment has slumped drastically and needs to be revamped. Since its establishment two years ago, the NFA has received two directives to stay evictions.
The first directive was in May/June 2005 orchestrated by politicians ahead of election campaigns and the second was in January 2006; just before elections. The directives insulated all illegal activities in the reserves and NFA employees were left haplessly in a dilemma on how to restore the physical and legal integrity of the forest reserves.
Lawlessness ensued and community hostility became rampant and inflamed to a level where any decisive action led to mob action, resulting in grievous bodily harm to the NFA staff. In April, 2006 an NFA staff was assaulted in Nakalanga, Mabira Central Forest Reserve fighting encroachment and later hospitalised in Jinja Hospital.
The culprits are still at large. Quite recently, two motor cycles were vandalised by irate illegal charcoal burners. In May 2006, criminally minded people induced the killing in Mukono, of casual labourers working with NFA’s law enforcement and timber monitoring unit. Their bodies were found by police in Nakifuma. In South Busoga Forest Reserve, one female NFA staff was taken hostage, beaten and cut with a panga.
The Inspector General of Police intervened to restore sanity though the situation is still delicate up to now. Hostilities by encroachers in forest reserves led to abandoning investments in tree planting. Kakira Sugar Works, Nile Ply Ltd and many others have suffered big losses in tree planting in forest reserves due to local politics.
In South Busoga again, encroachers have cut down10 hectares of four- year old trees worth sh120m. They have also burnt two hectares of five-year year old pine trees evaluated at sh10m. In Kibaale District, following the directive to stay eviction in January 2006, an estimated 8,000 new encroachers occupied 13 central forest reserves in the district.
In April, a staff was severely beaten in Kiboga District and left with broken bones and a destroyed motorcycle.
In Luwero District, lawless grazing and cultivating communities have made it difficult for licensed investors in tree-growing to do their work. They routinely destroy their trees by deliberately sending in cattle to graze, setting fire to the planted areas and even directly uprooting tree seedlings.
In September, 46 army veterans invaded Lwamunda Central Forest Reserve near Bujjuuko town and clear-fell 10 hectares of mature natural forests and extracted forest produce worth sh10m.
Whereas NFA has insisted on sticking to restoration of professionalism in the forest sector, it is at crossroads with politics. It is time politicians stopped interferring with forestry issues. The questions to ask are:
Is it the power-saw and the communities that we ought to blame? Did government provide the necessary professional guidance anyway?
Is it an issue of institutional failure? Has NFA and lead institutions been accorded the necessary political support to implement government policy on forestry?
Where are we going? If we removed the power-saw, sensitised the communities, shall we be able to restore our forestry glory? Is there a future for forests when there are elections after every five years?
Gaster Kiyingi
National Forestry Authority