Gulu City Leaders Trade Blame Over Wetland Destruction

Gulu City Council Executive Committee members are embroiled in a blame game over an illegal fuel station construction by an investor on Pece Stream wetland in Bardege-Layibi Division, Gulu City.

This comes nearly two weeks after a section of councillors passed a resolution compelling Gulu City Council to opt for an out-of-court settlement with the investor, Lawrence Okello to avoid legal cost implications. Okello dragged the Gulu City Land Board, and Gulu District Land Board to court demanding compensation of up to 50 million shillings for contempt of the court’s order delivered on August 25, 2021.

Following the November 28 council resolution, Lawrence Okello, who owns Oil Energy Uganda Ltd, resumed constructing the fuel station on Plot 3, Gulu Avenue despite opposition from both a section of Gulu city council leaders and environmental activists.

Gulu City Mayor Alfred Okwonga, however, blamed the city council speaker, Renny Joy Alima and other council members for passing the resolution in contrast with an earlier position of the city council blocking the fuel station development.

Okwonga noted that the speaker and other city leaders were fully aware of the Presidential directive on wetland destruction and the National Environment Management Authority's (NEMA) stance on illegal development on the wetland but still chose to allow its destruction.

He demanded an apology from the city council speaker, Gulu City Deputy Mayor Christine Olok, Philian Nyama, the clerk to the council, among others for what he describes as a betrayal of trust to the Gulu City Council and the community of Gulu City.

But Gulu City Council Speaker Renny Joy Alima told Uganda Radio Network in an interview Thursday that the council resolution was in good faith to save the city council from paying hefty legal costs in case it loses the case before the court.

Alima noted that the investor had acquired the land in question from the Gulu District land board and has since intended to use his land in vain despite having the necessary documents issued by the relevant authorities in the former Gulu Municipality. She says the council resolution stands and can only be revoked in the high court if the mayor wishes it to be overturned.

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Alima instead blames the Gulu City Council technical staff for double standards arguing that the leaders have turned a blind eye to several projects in the city that are violating the physical development plan.

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Andrew Ogwetta Otto, the Councillor five Laroo Pece North has since written to the Gulu City Council Speaker calling for an urgent emergency full council meeting for Gulu City Council to clarify the November 28 Council resolution. Ogwetta noted that the resolution has been taken out of context yet it sought for the council to explore all other forms of alternative dispute resolution than litigation with Oil Energy Uganda Ltd.

Following the resumption of the fuel station construction on the Wetland, the State House Anticorruption Unit in collaboration with NEMA and the police arrested Lawrence Okello, over illegal construction on a gazetted wetland.

Okello was charged before the Makindye Chief Magistrate’s Court with constructing a fuel station in a wetland in violation of environmental and planning laws and consequently remanded to Luzira Prison until December 16.