Who will finally stop Kinawataka destruction?
Nov 24, 2014
Can decisions by the Cabinet and Parliament about the environment be ignored? The continued destruction of Kinawataka swamp in Banda, Kampala suggests they can.
By Gerald Tenywa
Can decisions by the Cabinet and Parliament about the environment be ignored? The continued destruction of Kinawataka swamp in Banda, Kampala suggests they can.
Six months ago, Parliament and the Cabinet debated the issue of destruction of Kinawataka wetland and also ordered the cancellation of titles allocated in wetlands. The debate followed special reports by Saturday Vision highlighting the destruction of Kinawataka.
Parliament had questioned the rampant give away of wetlands such as Kinawataka. However, a month ago, the degraders resumed their activities.
“The destruction of the swamp has expanded,” said Charles Mukasa, a resident at Kinawataka. He adds that the destruction is also contrary to what the local people want.
“Who do these institutions that are giving away wetlands serve?” Mukasa wondered.
In a separate interview, Paul Mafabi, the director in charge of environmental planning at the water ministry, noted that the destruction of Kinawataka contravenes the Cabinet directive and the resolution of Parliament to secure Kampala’s wetlands for conservation of Lake Victoria.
“It is impunity on the part of the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) and the developer,” Mafabi told New Vision online.
“It defeats the logical intention of cancellation of the titles.”
Kinawataka wetland has been parcelled out to people believed to be front men for a city tycoon with a high affinity of building in swamps in the city.
WETLANDS BEING CONVERTED
A decade ago, NEMA listed Kinawataka among the vital wetlands to be protected as reserves.
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However, the top Government watchdog on the environment has in recent years backtracked on its agenda by giving away parts of Kinawataka.
Instead of protecting the swamp that has multiple uses, including shielding the lake from pollution, NEMA is now more concerned about construction of channels across the swamp to drain the water towards the lake.
“NEMA has reduced the roles and values of wetlands to only flood control,” said Mafabi, adding that NEMA has given away the wetlands to investors on condition that they construct better drainage systems.
“The conservation of Kampala’s swamps is being trivialised.”
As a result of dumping of soil in the swamp, Jinja Road has started experiencing floods, which has been brought to the attention of Dr. Tom Okurut, the executive director at NEMA.
“The drainage is a big issue and we had to stop the developer,” Okurut said.
RENEWED DESTRUCTION AT NIGHT
But the destroyers of the wetland have resorted to ferrying murram into the swamp at night and spreading it with graders during day time.
Asked what they were doing to protect one of Kampala’s largest swamps, Taire Idhwege, the head of the environment protection force, said, “I called the proprietor and he said there is no reason to stop. He said they were cleared by lawful Government authorities.”
NEMA, KCCA GIVE AWAY
Idhwege also said investigations show that Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) and NEMA agreed to give away the swamp.
He said that the Wetlands Management Department was told after the decision was taken and not consulted as required by the law.
On October 6, NEMA wrote to Bob Kanabi (the investor who allegedly wants to construct warehouses over the swamp) asking him to explain why he should not be sued for violating the conditions in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
The EIA is a study undertaken prior to any investment.
It is shows the likely environmental implications, mitigation measures as well as alternative courses of action.
Earlier, NEMA had cancelled the EIA for some of the plots allocated to the developer on grounds that he had violated the conditions.
Last week, Idhwege brought the matter to the attention of Flavia Munaaba, the state minister for environment and Mafabi.
Early this week, a team from the Wetlands Management Department sent by Munaaba were on the ground and discovered that the developer had violated the conditions of approval.
“We want destruction of the swamp to stop,” said Idhwege, adding that they were going to write to the developer and halt his work in the swamp.
The saying that when two elephants fight the grass suffers is playing out at Kinawataka. The local communities, together with Cabinet and Parliament, want the swamp to stay.
NEMA and KCCA have thrown their weight behind the investor. Who will save Kinawataka swamp from total destruction?
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