By Frank Kamuntu
For long, the president of Uganda has rallied Ugandans to do all what it takes to protect and preserve the environment – calling it a matter of life and death for humanity.
Not only that, President Museveni declared 2024 as a year for Environment. To preserve and protect the nature of our motherland.
In one of his dossiers, Gen. Yoweri Museveni enlists several benefits that humanity gets by safeguarding the environment also mentioning how humanity goes against God’s wish and plans for mankind by degrading nature.
Conversely, all these lamentations (not forgetting presidential orders to vacate wetlands and forest land) fall on deaf ears.
By the look of things now, It’s obvious that Museveni’s ministers and heads of institutions like the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) among others, are not only going against God’s will but also rebelling against the epitome of honour in this country, that’s their boss – the appointing authority, commander in chief, the ‘ssaabalwanyi’…
Who doesn’t fear a ‘Ssaabalwanyi’ (mighty warrior) really?
Besides, the environment protection law ensures that no activity is done in a radius of 50 metres from a river bank and 200 metres from a lake shore. The law restricts agriculture and any other activity in wetlands and forestry reserves as well.
Sadly, NEMA and a couple of ministers responsible have rebelliously become the number one rebel to their boss. Their personal priorities overrule even their boss’s directives given what is going on in many areas of the country where wetlands have been degraded all-out.
The Kaazi land saga, where even some ministers are implicated, is a spectacle of curiosity. Not only Kaazi but Kyankima (Gayaza), Kibuku in Pallisa, Mubende, Lake Victoria shores and elsewhere; wetlands are reducing day by day.
In January 2021, NEMA released a list of wetland degraders. However, little has been done to halt the operations of such enemies to humankind.
Besides, the list of ‘top whatever’ degraders makes no sense if no actions is taken or either little is done to preserve forest reserves and wetlands. Not to mention are other itinerant degraders scattered all over doing all sorts of activities as though they are insusceptible in regard to this matter of international prominence.
Just look around a stretch wherever you may be. The high level of pollution plus a protracted list of ecosystem encroachers including government officials are sickening! These fearless ‘rebels’ to Museveni are the untouchables, the well-to-do, the kleptocrats in his government, but with no clue on the value of preserving nature – the world’s heritage.
Human beings share the same planet with nature, and therefore it’s our duty to guard it irresistibly for the sake of generations to come. These government officials who are paying a deaf ear to their boss’s lamentations are a curse to humanity. Rebels indeed!
Kazibwe Jamil | ONC Coordinator Greater Masaka.
