President Museveni has directed those seeking to encroach on wetlands and forest reserves to vacate as soon as possible before they are forcefully evicted.
Museveni made the remarks in Yandwe village, Luwero District while commissioning SR Afro Chicks and Breeders Limited, a poultry farm belonging to Indian investors.
His comments came after the village chairperson appealed to him to intervene in a land dispute between locals and National forest Authority noting that about 726 people were forced off their land.
The president said Lumansi wetland is being degraded by the locals which is a great effect on the environment.
Museveni said: “I have seen people encroaching on Lumansi to grow yams and their potatoes; that is a big mistake, they should get out of that wetland. No one should claim and no one can deceive me that they were there before because I know those wetlands no one was there before.”
He directed Luwero Resident District Commissioner and Chief Administrative Officer to ensure that encroachers vacate wetlands and forest reserves with immediate effect.
Museveni also threatened to fire district leaders if they fail to carry out his directive.
“If I come and find people still in the wetlands, I will fire those district leaders including RDC and CAO,” he said
President Museveni applauded Indians for investing in Uganda castigating former president Iddi Amin for expelling Asians in 1972.
Pheobe Namulindwa, Luwero RDC said many people living in wetlands should be educated the dangers of destroying wetlands.
“They don’t know that what they are doing affects the environment in one way or the other so as the RDC, security committee and the technical team, we have embarked on the mass sensitisation so that they know and we also guide them on what can be done in the wetlands,” she said.
SR Afro Chicks and Breeders Limited is a 102-hectare poultry farm which has been operating in Luwero since 2014.
The farm has the capacity to produce one million eggs per day for local and regional markets on East Africa.mirrow