Editor
Over 100 farmers residing in Kyenyi and Kabere parishes within Muko Sub-County of Rubanda District have formally submitted a petition to the Ugandan President, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. The petition seeks the President’s intervention following forced evictions and the destruction of their agricultural plots by local District Authorities.
The farmers’ lives were significantly affected when, on the 28th of the previous month, District Authorities, led by Rubanda’s Acting Resident District Commissioner, Eric Ssewandigi, carried out the removal of crop gardens and trees to restore the Karukara-Kanyambugo Wetland in Kabere Parish. This move was met with resistance from a portion of the local population dependent on the wetland for their livelihoods. District authorities argued that the eviction was necessary as residents had unlawfully cultivated various crops, including beans, Irish potatoes, cabbages, maize, eggplants, and eucalyptus trees within the wetland.
In their plea, the affected farmers, represented by their Member of Parliament, Hon. Moses Kamuntu Mwongyera, have urged President Museveni to address the situation. They emphasized that they had utilized the land for many years and were taken by surprise with the sudden eviction, without any prior awareness. The farmers expressed concerns about potential food shortages and financial difficulties due to the loss of their crops, highlighting their inability to repay loans invested in their agricultural activities.
The Chairperson of Rubanda District LC5, Steven Ampeire Kasyaba, strongly criticized the crop destruction carried out in the name of implementing a Presidential Directive. He condemned the actions of the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) and the Natural Resources office, asserting that such measures deviate from the President’s directives.
Hon. Moses Kamuntu Mwongyera, the legislator for Rubanda County West, rejected the eviction and announced plans to pursue legal action for justice and compensation.
Conversely, Rubanda District’s Nature Resources Officer, Jane Amumpeire, disclosed that 95 percent of wetlands in the district have been encroached upon. She pointed out visible consequences such as floods resulting in fatalities, destruction of crop gardens, and damage to other properties. Amumpeire emphasized that the public had been educated about permissible activities in wetlands that do not compromise the ecosystem.
