Kampala wetlands are no more: What is the way forward?
Oct 31, 2008
IT is a sad story, but true – Kampala city has almost lost all its wetlands to the construction sector. Encroachers invade the wetlands and before the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) gets to know of it, they have already put up structures.
By Chris Kiwawulo
IT is a sad story, but true – Kampala city has almost lost all its wetlands to the construction sector. Encroachers invade the wetlands and before the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) gets to know of it, they have already put up structures.
Some of the encroachers dodge NEMA by building on weekends and at night, while others hire private security guards to oversee the wetland destruction, this reporter established.
Crest Foam mattress factory was for instance in August found to be reclaiming a swamp near Ntinda stretcher at night under the watchful eye of a private security guard. NEMA had earlier stopped the industry owners from reclaiming the wetland in January.
NEMA officials have on several occasions accused Kampala City Council (KCC) of endorsing construction plans in wetlands, yet KCC itself has a wetland protection division. Some of the wetland plots that KCC leased out are in Nakawa, Luzira and Bugolobi.
The most notable wetlands that Kampala has lost include; Wandegeya Children’s park, Kyambogo wetland (car depots), Centenary Park, Bwaise, Luzira, Kinnawataka, Bugolobi, Garden city, Shoprite/Game shopping mall, KCC playgrounds in Lugogo, Clock Tower and Nakivubo.
These were hitherto serving a number of environmental purposes to the city. Such purposes included preventing floods by acting as water catchment areas, filtering effluents from industries before the water gets into Lake Victoria and being habitats for aquatic creatures. Aquatic creatures play an important role in the eco-system.
Whereas NEMA has since its formation in 1995 stood firm against encroachment on some wetlands, it has approved the reclaiming of several of them. For instance, the encroachment on wetlands where Garden City, Lugogo Shoprite and Nakumatt shopping malls are located, were approved by the Government.
In such circumstances, however, it has to be proved that the advantages accruing from the investment outweigh the existence of the wetland. Besides, an environmental impact assessment has to be carried out by NEMA before construction starts.
While Government sometimes gives out wetlands to developers through the right procedure, they are in some instances grabbed. In some areas, the developers politicise the wetland encroachment thereby arm-twisting NEMA beyond its limits.
A case in point was the Wandegeya Children’s Park in Kawempe division, where part of the wetland was grabbed by people with disablities under their umbrella organisation – The Salvation Army early 2006. In July the same year, UPDF veterans also grabbed the remaining piece of the wetland.
Efforts by both NEMA and KCC to evict the veterans were futile as they literally resisted and chased away KCC law enforcement officers, who had gone to demolish their structures. They were armed with sticks and reportedly, guns.
The veterans argued that President Museveni should back their move to settle and carry out their businesses in the wetland as a reward for fighting to liberate the country.
Initially, they talked of putting up temporary structures, but with time, they started erecting permanent ones that have now filled the whole hitherto swamp.
The wetland was acting as a catchment area for water that runs from Makerere and Mulago hills before it joins Lubigi water channel, but this is now history.
In April this year, NEMA destroyed small gardens in a bid to restore Kinnawataka swamp in Nakawa division and stop its further degradation. A squad of over 30 police constables from Jinja Road Police Station was deployed to provide protection to a group of 60 men hired by NEMA to destroy the crops.
The men cleared crops covering over 20 acres, which is about 10% of the affected area of the swamp that stretches from Kyambogo, Ntinda to Butabika through Kinnawataka, Mutungo and Bbiina.
NEMA had earlier issued several warnings to the residents to stop cultivating in the wetland so that it can be preserved. The restoration of Kinnawataka swamp followed a directive by Water and Environment minister Maria Mutagamba to restore Kampala’s swamp, saying: “Inspections proved that the encroachment was contributing to contamination of Lake Victoria.â€
But as soon as the crops were destroyed, the residents petitioned their local leaders. Consequently, the matter turned political and the eviction of the encroachers was stopped.
In a meeting between NEMA and the Kinnawataka residents held at Nakawa community centre recently, the residents accused the NEMA director Dr. Aryamanya Mugisha and his team of double standards. They argued that the NEMA staff approve wetland encroachment by wealthy people and harass the poor.
But Mugisha dismissed the allegations as untrue and promised to investigate the matter. The rate at which wetlands in Kampala are disappearing is worrying and experts warn that this will have adverse effects on the eco-system.
The scramble for Kampala’s wetlands has resulted from the population growth in the city. In 1962, there were about 500,000 people living in Kampala, but the population has now grown to over two million people, according to KCC.
IT is a sad story, but true – Kampala city has almost lost all its wetlands to the construction sector. Encroachers invade the wetlands and before the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) gets to know of it, they have already put up structures.
Some of the encroachers dodge NEMA by building on weekends and at night, while others hire private security guards to oversee the wetland destruction, this reporter established.
Crest Foam mattress factory was for instance in August found to be reclaiming a swamp near Ntinda stretcher at night under the watchful eye of a private security guard. NEMA had earlier stopped the industry owners from reclaiming the wetland in January.
NEMA officials have on several occasions accused Kampala City Council (KCC) of endorsing construction plans in wetlands, yet KCC itself has a wetland protection division. Some of the wetland plots that KCC leased out are in Nakawa, Luzira and Bugolobi.
The most notable wetlands that Kampala has lost include; Wandegeya Children’s park, Kyambogo wetland (car depots), Centenary Park, Bwaise, Luzira, Kinnawataka, Bugolobi, Garden city, Shoprite/Game shopping mall, KCC playgrounds in Lugogo, Clock Tower and Nakivubo.
These were hitherto serving a number of environmental purposes to the city. Such purposes included preventing floods by acting as water catchment areas, filtering effluents from industries before the water gets into Lake Victoria and being habitats for aquatic creatures. Aquatic creatures play an important role in the eco-system.
Whereas NEMA has since its formation in 1995 stood firm against encroachment on some wetlands, it has approved the reclaiming of several of them. For instance, the encroachment on wetlands where Garden City, Lugogo Shoprite and Nakumatt shopping malls are located, were approved by the Government.
In such circumstances, however, it has to be proved that the advantages accruing from the investment outweigh the existence of the wetland. Besides, an environmental impact assessment has to be carried out by NEMA before construction starts.
While Government sometimes gives out wetlands to developers through the right procedure, they are in some instances grabbed. In some areas, the developers politicise the wetland encroachment thereby arm-twisting NEMA beyond its limits.
A case in point was the Wandegeya Children’s Park in Kawempe division, where part of the wetland was grabbed by people with disablities under their umbrella organisation – The Salvation Army early 2006. In July the same year, UPDF veterans also grabbed the remaining piece of the wetland.
Efforts by both NEMA and KCC to evict the veterans were futile as they literally resisted and chased away KCC law enforcement officers, who had gone to demolish their structures. They were armed with sticks and reportedly, guns.
The veterans argued that President Museveni should back their move to settle and carry out their businesses in the wetland as a reward for fighting to liberate the country.
Initially, they talked of putting up temporary structures, but with time, they started erecting permanent ones that have now filled the whole hitherto swamp.
The wetland was acting as a catchment area for water that runs from Makerere and Mulago hills before it joins Lubigi water channel, but this is now history.
In April this year, NEMA destroyed small gardens in a bid to restore Kinnawataka swamp in Nakawa division and stop its further degradation. A squad of over 30 police constables from Jinja Road Police Station was deployed to provide protection to a group of 60 men hired by NEMA to destroy the crops.
The men cleared crops covering over 20 acres, which is about 10% of the affected area of the swamp that stretches from Kyambogo, Ntinda to Butabika through Kinnawataka, Mutungo and Bbiina.
NEMA had earlier issued several warnings to the residents to stop cultivating in the wetland so that it can be preserved. The restoration of Kinnawataka swamp followed a directive by Water and Environment minister Maria Mutagamba to restore Kampala’s swamp, saying: “Inspections proved that the encroachment was contributing to contamination of Lake Victoria.â€
But as soon as the crops were destroyed, the residents petitioned their local leaders. Consequently, the matter turned political and the eviction of the encroachers was stopped.
In a meeting between NEMA and the Kinnawataka residents held at Nakawa community centre recently, the residents accused the NEMA director Dr. Aryamanya Mugisha and his team of double standards. They argued that the NEMA staff approve wetland encroachment by wealthy people and harass the poor.
But Mugisha dismissed the allegations as untrue and promised to investigate the matter. The rate at which wetlands in Kampala are disappearing is worrying and experts warn that this will have adverse effects on the eco-system.
The scramble for Kampala’s wetlands has resulted from the population growth in the city. In 1962, there were about 500,000 people living in Kampala, but the population has now grown to over two million people, according to KCC.