While delivering his Easter message at his Episcopal home in Kitovu, Masaka, Bishop Jjumba noted that he has found it necessary to enlarge the mandate of Small Christian Communities beyond providing spiritual support, to also include strengthening family institutions through promoting reconciliation among couples.
Rose Nakyejwe, the Masaka district Senior Environment Officer also a member of the Biodiversity Conservation Foundation-BCF, an advocacy organization for environmental protection, says the judgment sets bad precedence likely to cause lethal consequences to biodiversity.
Arnold Waiswa Ayazika, the Director for Environment Management and Compliance at NEMA argues that the failure by the government to fully operationalize the National Environment Management Act of 2019, which establishes a specialized enforcement task force is a serious impediment to their operations.
. According to Ssematimba, this was meant to teach pupils how to optimally and innovatively utilize the available land resources around them to sustain themselves outside the formal employment sector.
When the schools were closed in March last year, at least 30 pupils of St Maria Goretti Mpugwe Primary School in Masaka district mobilised themselves into a group of environmental protection ambassadors that undertook to encourage proper waste management practices in their communities while at home.
Hajji Quraish Katongole, the Chairperson of Old Masaka Basenene Association
Limited, the umbrella body of grasshopper trappers in the Masaka region, says that they have lost over Shillings 85million because of the grasshopper scarcity.
Peter Kayemba, the Makonzi Landing site Chairman, explains that they have been requesting NFA several times in more than three years to allow them to expand their residence and replace their shacks with permanent homes due to increasing congestion and filth.
The ugx35m-machine is a donation from Vi-Agroforestry, a development organisation fighting poverty and climate change in collaboration with farmer’s groups and organisations, advising and training farmers in sustainable agricultural land management.
Reverend Father James Ssendege, the founder of Masaka recycling initiative says the total tonnage of plastic waste materials has been accumulated in the last four years they have been operating in the greater Masaka districts.
In the past, leaders in Masaka city and environmental conservation activists have been at loggerheads with a senior officer of Uganda People’s Defense Forces-UPDF identified as Major Patrice Mugume who hired trucks to dump the soil in a wetland, clearing part of it for construction.
The affected wetland, part of which is being degraded serves as the main water catchment area for Masaka district’s main water source, which directly drains from the wetland’s streams.
At least six international banks have backtracked on their financing plans for a USD 3.5 billion project, which will include developments of oil fields in the Albertine region and the construction of a crude oil export pipeline from Hoima in Uganda to Tanga in Tanzania.
Martin Kigozi, the Senior Physical Planer Masaka City, says that the decision is aimed at ensuring a properly planned town with green spaces to avoid congestion. He says that they intend to have a city with enough trees and grass to provide a healthy environment.
Pauline Nabadda, the Masaka City Environment Officer reveals that the decision to privatize garbage management in the town was reached upon following the chronic failure by the local government to effectively manage the solid waste materials in the area.
Doctor Lawrence Mayega, the Masaka District Production Officers says in addition to the obvious challenges of general crop failure and low farm production, they have also learnt of serious threats the abrupt changes in season patterns are posing to bee-keeping in the area.
James Muhindo, the National Coordinator of the Civil Society Coalition on Oil and Gas-CSCO says this is a big commitment they have all along been waiting for from government, given the history of altercations that were involved in the initial stages of signing Uganda’s oil contracts.
Nicholas Kazibwe, the Chairperson of Kajuna sand miners argues that they are already burdened by the local government tax levied on their work despite having no returns from it.
The identified swamps include Nabajuzi and Kyojja all-weather freshwater wetlands that stretch between the districts of Masaka, Lwengo, Kalungu, Bukomansimbi, Kyotera and Sembabule.
The plastic shields, according to medics, protect eyes, nose and the mouth from potentially deadly droplets through which the infection is transmitted. They are a crucial outfit at a time when the government is recommending wearing face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.
Emmanuel Gakyalo, the Masaka Municipality Deputy Town Clerk explains that the decision is meant to curtail the rising number of washing bays operating in ungazetted areas with some being put so close to roads leading to their destruction before their lifespan is due.
