KAYUNGA-UGANDA/NEWSDAY: Three Members of Parliament (MPs) are pushing the minister for Water and Environment to degazette 6,525 hectares of the central forest reserves to a wealthy investor.
The Central Forest include Wamale, Kiula and Bajo all located in Bbaale and Galiraya sub counties in Bbaale Constituency in Kayunga District.
In a motion dated October 28, 2021 the three MPs Tebondeke Charles of Bbaale County, Kayunga District, Nsanja Patrick Kayongo- Ntenjeru County South and Zijon David Livingstone of Butembe County say that investment is better than the existence of the central forest reserves.
The MPs argue that already there is encroachment on the forests by residents numbering about 70.000 households and that already four trading centers and seven parishes have been demarcated within the forests.
The MPs further claim that the National Environmental Authority (NFA) already issues land titles curved out of the forests and that within the forests are schools, hospitals and places of worship.
“Due to increased urbanization coupled with the availability of agricultural output that can be used as raw materials in agro processing industries, the land currently occupied by the Forest Reserves is suitable for establishing industrial parks,” the motion reads.
They argue that industrial parks will assist to create more jobs, ease accessibility of land for investments, introduce new research, technologies and skills development as well as boost Uganda’s exports.
Kayunga according to the 2014 population census has 368,062 settling on a total land area measuring 58,800 hectares.
“This cannot ably sustain the growing population, increased land conflicts, especially in the sub-counties of Bbaale, Galiraya, Kayonza, and Kitimbwa Sub county,” the motion reads.
The motion says that the land belonging to Wamale, Kiula and Bajo Central Forest Reserves have been heavily and irreversibly degraded, making the areas gazetted as forest reserves, in title with little or no tree cover to make the forest reserve viable.
“Cognisant that Wamale, Kiula and Bajo Central Forest Reserves can only be degazetted by government, through presenting a motion for a resolution of Parliament, in accordance with sections 7 and 8 of the Notional Forestry and Tree Planting Act, upon satisfaction of various other requirements, including providing alternative land for the establishment of a new forest reserve as well as carrying out on environmental assessment,” the motion says.
Full Motion
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