Unlike in Kalangala district, where several farmers devoted all their land to oil palm growing, NOPP is ensuring that each out grower at Buvuma spares or secures an acre of land for growing food. Wilson Sserunjogi, the District Oil Palm Focal Person says such land will help farmers during the time when they cannot practice intercropping.
The team impounded over seven hundred bags of charcoal from the site and confiscated a number of rudimentary tools used by the dealers to cut and burn trees for charcoal burning and timber.
Xavier Sekanabo from the Environmental Police Protection Unit who led the operation said that they have no mercy for the charcoal dealers because they are depleting the environment and indiscriminately destroying the endangered tree species including Afzelia Africana, shea and mahogany among others.
She told URN that she has been in the business for only three months following a connection with a friend and has never cut trees or burnt charcoal but been buying in small scale.
At least 38 CSOs from Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo issued a communique rejecting the signing or conclusion of what they called secret agreements for the Tilenga, Kingfisher and East African Crude Oil Pipeline oil projects, until all court cases in various countries are determined. The cases mainly related to issues of human rights and the environment.
The campaign follows the death of 60 Gray-crowned cranes, in different wetlands which were poisoned by encroachers in two weeks. The dead cranes were discovered in a survey conducted by ICF to identifying and protecting the crested crane habitats in the district.
“Between 2015 and 2018, some charcoal cartels counted among their members a senior cabinet minister, two senior army commanders and an assistant commissioner of the Ugandan Police Force,” the report says.
Marino’s arrest came a day after his Ugandan wife was detained at Bugolobi Police Station together with Panda – Pier Village LC I Chairperson, Joseph Tomusange, who was caught with 2.5Kgs of worked Ivory pieces following a trap laid by officers from the Natural Resources Conservation Network (NRCN) working closely with detectives from the Uganda Police Force who presented themselves as buyers of the ivory.
Simon Mutiti, a resident of Butiaba landing site in Butiaba Sub County is one of those displaced by the floods. According to Mutiti, he is currently experiencing untold suffering since his three houses were submerged by floods.
The washing bays have been established 20 meters from the river bank and oils from the vehicles flow into the rivers, whose water is consumed by residents.
Richard Ojok, the LCI Chairperson of Lukai village, Bar Jere Parish in Lungulu Sub County says the conditions of the roads worsened immediately after the rains started raining heavily. He says the district authorities had not rehabilitated the roads.
Haruna Busobozi, the Northern Region National Forestry Authority Sector Manager, says that the charcoal was impounded in the ongoing joint crackdown by NFA, Environmental Police Protection Unit and the local leaders of the respective districts in Acholi Sub –Region.
While Total E&P Uganda B.V. announced that it is has relinquished 9% of the area it had been permitted to develop in the ecologically sensitive area of the Murchison Falls National Park for environmental reasons, the Afiego Chief insists the process and term for relinquishment has not been transparent.
Its location, as the host of Uganda’s sole international airport, the Botanical Gardens, the famous Entebbe Zoo and as a peninsular into Lake Victoria, gave it a niche, as an ideal destination for tourists to Historical sites, leisure parks, hotels and sand beaches. Back then, a visit to Entebbe came with a breath of fresh air as a gentle breeze from the lake swept through the town, blowing the wind softly, through the clean streets.
The roads that have so far been rehabilitated include 33km Bobi Frontiers – Awor to Ongako, 0.5km Opit to Awor at a tune of 250 million for gravelling under the low-cost ceiling, 8.9km Lakwatomer- Abole-Abili at a tune of 48 million, 8.7km Lalogi-Bario at a tune of 50 million shillings. Others include, 40km Abili-Abwoch to Wii Tochi and Opit to Awor rehabilitated under the district discretionary equalization grant-DDEG. Other roads earmarked for rehabilitation in the next financial year include 7.8km Lakwatomer- Palenga to Keto in Lakwana Sub County and 8km Abole-Lujo Awinyo -Lagwer Dola road.
Annet Kyomuhendo, a charcoal dealer in Kigongi in Central division Kabale municipality says that she now sells a sack of charcoal at 30,000 from 20,000 Shillings and a basin at 6,000 from 3,000 Shillings.
On Tuesday, the residents led by the Ayivu East MP-elect, Geoffrey Feta, delivered a petition to the National Forest Authority-NFA Range Manager for West Nile demanding immediate cancellation of the lease offer of 10 hectares.
Gad Ahimbisibwe Rugaju, the Kanungu Deputy Resident District Commissioner said that all sand mines in the district will remain closed until standard sand mining measures are put in place.
Frank Kiguli, one of the area leaders says that hundreds of vendors have totally lost business since the onset of the heavy rains, which flooded their stalls. He says that they sometimes sell their goods through sales agents or hawkers who move with the goods from place to place.
The suspects were picked up in an operation led by Xavier Sekanabo, the Commander of the Environmental Police Protection Unit on Saturday evening. The officers braved the rain and stormed the camp in Apaa Junction in Adjumani leading to the arrest of the suspects.
Xavier Sekanabo told URN that the dealers who are from as far as Central, Western and Eastern Uganda didn’t any documents authorisation to trade or transport forest species. He disclosed that the suspects are detained in Gulu and Amuru Central Police Stations
