Schools told to institute 'kaveera' checkpoints

ENVIRONMENT

The Prime Minister of Buganda Kingdom, Charles Peter Mayiga has urged schools to institute Polythene Bags (kaveera) checkpoints in a bid to ban them from school premises.

According to Mayiga, the move is intended to not only keep the environment clean but to also groom young stars and citizens who are environmentally conscious.

"As Buganda Kingdom, we intend to launch this campaign and initiate it with vigour in schools this year. The campaign will not only keep the environment clean and safe but the young stars will learn at an early age on how we deal with plastics bags and bottles," he explained.

Mayinga said this during the launch of a partnership between Buganda Kingdom and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) meant to work towards nature recovery not just in Buganda but Uganda at large.

He called upon the government to conserve the remaining forests and water bodies as well as prevail over the Private sector's manufacturing and importation of polythene bags/papers.

"Buganda Kingdom has over the years been beautiful with water bodies, forests, and wild animals. Unfortunately, in recent decades, people have increasingly encroached upon the natural world," he said

"As a result, we have lost our wild animals, water sources, and forests. Additionally, the frequency and number of new zoonotic diseases, originating in animals and transmitted to people, has risen drastically over the last century. We have also witnessed climate hazards such as floods and landslides which have claimed a lot of lives, we need collective energy to fight all these," Mayiga stressed.

Simon Peter Weredwong, the Acting Executive Director, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) noted that Uganda's biodiversity is declining at an alarming rate which presents a serious challenge to its society and national economy something he said should be looked into urgently.

"The loss of biodiversity is mainly attributed to the human-related socio-economic needs. Though in a bigger extent, overpopulation, growing investment climate, infrastructure development, internal and external displacements as well as poverty and youth unemployment accounts for the biggest causes.," he alluded.

According to the IUCN Red List, the trend in loss of key species and components of biodiversity is high.  It is estimated that on average between 10-11% of overall biodiversity is lost per decade.

Weredwong notes that, whereas the country needs development involving natural resources, these should be done in a sustainable manner that enhances the integrity of the ecosystem and augments its ability to serve both the current and future generation.

Mariam Mayanja Nkalubo, the Buganda Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Trade, Cooperatives, and Community Services thanked WWF for signing a memorandum of understanding with Buganda kingdom noting that, the partnership will go a long way in handling climate change, environmental protection and conservation.

"Buganda has and is still facing climate change and environmental degradation. We have not been negotiating we have been looking on even when Lwera was going but with this partnership and the new board put in place, I think we now have a voice," she said.

Nkalubo said the newly elected board will not only represent Buganda kingdom at a national level but also at the international level.