The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Police Unit, the Territorial Police and the UPDF have successfully reclaimed a degraded section of the Lubigi Wetland System at Kigwanya Zone, Busega Parish.
The operation, conducted under NEMA SD 19/26/11/2024, targeted an area that had been unlawfully occupied and degraded under the alleged leadership of Robert Kiiza, Shafick Manooti, Lukwago Musumba, and Cissy Kayongo.
These individuals had reportedly facilitated the illegal subdivision of plots within the wetland, turning it into an unregulated settlement area.
Upon arrival, enforcement teams found widespread environmental violations, including subdivision of Wetland Plots where encroachers had illegally demarcated sections of the wetland for sale and development.
According to NEMA, the enforcement team found over 54 unauthorized structures, constructed using tree bark and iron sheets, dotted the landscape.
The authority reports that some sections of the wetland had been filled with murram, while artificial drainage channels had been dug to divert water.
NEMA enforcement teams added that they found more than 3.5 acres of the wetland turned into farmland, with banana suckers, yams, maize, and even cattle keeping threatening the ecosystem.
The joint operation was met with resistance from some encroachers, but law enforcement personnel ensured the exercise proceeded without major disruptions. Over the course of the day:
The authority noted that they managed to demolish more than 54 makeshift structures using power saws and casual labor, rendering them uninhabitable.
They added that foreign plant species introduced into the wetland were uprooted to allow natural vegetation to regenerate.
To ensure that other people don’t fall victim, NEMA said it conducted a community sensitization warning locals against further encroachment and educating them on the ecological importance of wetlands.
NEMA has warned the public that any attempts to reclaim or redevelop the restored wetland section will face strict enforcement measures.
Encroachers risk prosecution under Section 55 of the National Environment Act, Cap 181, which carries penalties of up to shs 600 million in fines or 12 years of imprisonment, or both.
