NEMA halts Nyakaana's Munyonyo hotel

Jul 24, 2007

THE National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has stopped the LC3 chairman for Kampala Central Division, Godfrey Nyakaana, from building a hotel in Munyonyo swamp.

By Gerald Tenywa

THE National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has stopped the LC3 chairman for Kampala Central Division, Godfrey Nyakaana, from building a hotel in Munyonyo swamp.

“Nyakaana has breached most of the conditions we considered before his project was cleared early this year,’’ said George Lubega, a biodiversity specialist under NEMA.

“I have summoned Nyakaana and his consultant so that this matter can be resolved. They have been stopped from building until further notice.’’

In a three-page report compiled after an environment impact study was conducted on the proposed “Munyonyo bay apartments’’, NEMA gave 12 conditions.

One of them was that no development should be undertaken with in the 200m protection zone of the lake. But when Lubega went to inspect the site of the proposed hotel over the weekend, he found trucks pouring murram in the protection zone.

He said Nyakaana insisted on moving into the swamp, arguing that Sudhir Ruparelia was also expanding his hotel, Munyonyo Speke Resort, into the wetland.

“I do not understand why Nyakaana was referring to this because NEMA issued a permit to Sudhir for building a marina that can accommodate bigger boats,’’ said Lubega.

The New Vision
on Saturday ran a story indicating that the construction of hotels by Nyakaana and Sudhir were threatening to drive Munyonyo swamp with total destruction.

Part of Nyakaana’s plot is located outside the swamp, but the bigger part is in the swamp, which is described by environmentalists as ecologically sensitive.

Dr. Festus Bagoora, NEMA’s director of environmental monitoring, confirmed that Nyakaana was violating the conditions given to him. “This business of approving projects by local investors with land near wetlands is tricky,’’ said Bagoora.

“I do not think we should approve such projects because they tend to have hidden agendas.’’

The wetlands protect Lake Victoria from pollution and siltation as they filter the dirty water and release the clean water into the lake.

Other functions of the wetlands include the provision of breeding grounds for fish, endangered birds like the crested crane and acts as water reservoirs, which is released into lakes, rivers, streams and spring wells.

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