Encroachment on Namaswa Central Forest Reserve is costly
Jan 24, 2010
AN article, titled “Museveni okays eviction of 1,500 Mubende homes,†that appeared in a local newspaper on January 11, has stirred anxiety and a flurry of inquiries at the National Forestry Authority (NFA).
By Moses Watasa
AN article, titled “Museveni okays eviction of 1,500 Mubende homes,†that appeared in a local newspaper on January 11, has stirred anxiety and a flurry of inquiries at the National Forestry Authority (NFA).
President Yoweri Museveni is reported to have sanctioned the eviction of 1,500 bibanja holders from villages in Mubende. The article insinuates that the bibanja (plots) holders are to be bundled out of their homes under the guise of evicting encroachers from Namwasa Central Forest Reserve (CFR).
For the record, the places in Mubende district where people are required by the Ministry of Water and Environment to vacate by February 28, 2010 are within Namwasa CFR. The newspaper’s attempt to politicise the evacuation exercise (from a forest reserve) by linking it with the recently assented-to Land Act is also curious.
The situation in Namwasa CFR is part of a broader encroachment challenge for NFA. There is an estimated 300,000 illegal settlers in reserves countrywide.
Unfortunately, as the Government explores a comprehensive solution, some encroachers are claiming ‘ownership’ of forest land.
The National Forestry and Tree Planting Act, 2003, defines forest reserves as conservation areas. Holding bibanja within forest reserves does not arise and humans are really not part of the bio-diversity. Encroachment in Namwasa CFR is ‘costly’ since it is hampering a strategic plantation investment. Tree planting by the New Forests Company, licenced by NFA to develop a commercial plantation, is under threat. Of the 8,000 hectares allocated to the company, 3,000 have yet to be planted due to illegal human settlements and crop gardens.
With an executive order halting evictions in place, NFA sought guidance from President Museveni to resolve the situation. Having been at the forefront of inviting investors to Uganda, the President pledged to address a problem facing an investment worth billions. Mubende district leaders, LCs and encroachers concede that the Mpologoma, Kusisira and Kyanamukaka villages scheduled for human evacuation are within Namwasa CFR. Up to 452 families have been registered, not 1,500 as reported by the newspaper.
While some encroachers are leaving the reserve, final evacuation will be undertaken by district leaders and the Police for orderliness and minimal damage to property. The Government has set aside resources to relocate and compensate families, particularly those who settled in the area prior to 1992.
The Namwasa community has benefits i.e. schools, health facilities, feeder roads, seedlings for woodlots and jobs accruing from the New Forests Company. As the investment expands, additional backward and forward linkages are envisaged to fundamentally transform the host community. It is, therefore, in the interest of the community and Uganda (in general) that such forestry-related investments are supported.
With 80,000 hectares of forest cover lost annually, there is need for private investment to accelerate Uganda’s re-aforestation. Through NFA, the Government plants 5,000 hectares, while the private sector plants 25,000 hectares annually. Thus, public-private partnerships remain a sound option for closing aforestation gaps in Uganda.
NFA is also planting trees through sponsorships with corporate entities i.e. MTN-Uganda, Posta Uganda, World Vision, URA and the British Council. With such initiatives also affected, civil evacuation from Namwasa CFR could be our blueprint for resolving encroachment in Uganda. The priority would be CFRs of highest economic and ecological value like Namwasa.
The writer is the public relations manager of the National Forestry Authority
AN article, titled “Museveni okays eviction of 1,500 Mubende homes,†that appeared in a local newspaper on January 11, has stirred anxiety and a flurry of inquiries at the National Forestry Authority (NFA).
President Yoweri Museveni is reported to have sanctioned the eviction of 1,500 bibanja holders from villages in Mubende. The article insinuates that the bibanja (plots) holders are to be bundled out of their homes under the guise of evicting encroachers from Namwasa Central Forest Reserve (CFR).
For the record, the places in Mubende district where people are required by the Ministry of Water and Environment to vacate by February 28, 2010 are within Namwasa CFR. The newspaper’s attempt to politicise the evacuation exercise (from a forest reserve) by linking it with the recently assented-to Land Act is also curious.
The situation in Namwasa CFR is part of a broader encroachment challenge for NFA. There is an estimated 300,000 illegal settlers in reserves countrywide.
Unfortunately, as the Government explores a comprehensive solution, some encroachers are claiming ‘ownership’ of forest land.
The National Forestry and Tree Planting Act, 2003, defines forest reserves as conservation areas. Holding bibanja within forest reserves does not arise and humans are really not part of the bio-diversity. Encroachment in Namwasa CFR is ‘costly’ since it is hampering a strategic plantation investment. Tree planting by the New Forests Company, licenced by NFA to develop a commercial plantation, is under threat. Of the 8,000 hectares allocated to the company, 3,000 have yet to be planted due to illegal human settlements and crop gardens.
With an executive order halting evictions in place, NFA sought guidance from President Museveni to resolve the situation. Having been at the forefront of inviting investors to Uganda, the President pledged to address a problem facing an investment worth billions. Mubende district leaders, LCs and encroachers concede that the Mpologoma, Kusisira and Kyanamukaka villages scheduled for human evacuation are within Namwasa CFR. Up to 452 families have been registered, not 1,500 as reported by the newspaper.
While some encroachers are leaving the reserve, final evacuation will be undertaken by district leaders and the Police for orderliness and minimal damage to property. The Government has set aside resources to relocate and compensate families, particularly those who settled in the area prior to 1992.
The Namwasa community has benefits i.e. schools, health facilities, feeder roads, seedlings for woodlots and jobs accruing from the New Forests Company. As the investment expands, additional backward and forward linkages are envisaged to fundamentally transform the host community. It is, therefore, in the interest of the community and Uganda (in general) that such forestry-related investments are supported.
With 80,000 hectares of forest cover lost annually, there is need for private investment to accelerate Uganda’s re-aforestation. Through NFA, the Government plants 5,000 hectares, while the private sector plants 25,000 hectares annually. Thus, public-private partnerships remain a sound option for closing aforestation gaps in Uganda.
NFA is also planting trees through sponsorships with corporate entities i.e. MTN-Uganda, Posta Uganda, World Vision, URA and the British Council. With such initiatives also affected, civil evacuation from Namwasa CFR could be our blueprint for resolving encroachment in Uganda. The priority would be CFRs of highest economic and ecological value like Namwasa.
The writer is the public relations manager of the National Forestry Authority