The President said that the opposition politicians are spreading falsehoods about the proposed land law because they do not want to see government working, as they will have something to criticize about when the government is performing well.  He said the it is not true that government wants to grab people’s land as the opposition
politicians are telling people but rather ease government acquisition of land for development of public infrastructure such as roads, electricity and the railway.

President Museveni explains the land issue at Spice FM

He assured the listeners that the National Resistance Movement (NRM) government’s take on land is known as it was the first government to allow people to own land and will not therefore turn around and say land belongs to the government. He explained that with the proposed amendment to the land law, government must acquire land after compensating the owner and where a landowner is discontented, he or she can appeal in order to get fair compensation but at the same time ensuring that public infrastructure projects are not stalled.

Citing the Kamwenge-Fort Portal road that he had earlier on commissioned President Museveni said that there are some greedy people who want to loot government stall government projects with the hope of being compensated more money.  “The Kamwenge road works got stalled when a one Kasangwa wanted a billion shillings for a quarter an acre and yet the piece of land had been valued at UGX 89 million. The contractor had to change where the road would pass.

The President said the amendment would allow discontented landowners to let government projects continue on as they appeal for fair compensation. He revealed that during the construction of the Mpigi-Kanoni-Kabulasoke-Maddu-Ssemabule–Masaka road, government acquired 21 acres of his land in Gomba; he did not refuse government
to acquire the land because he knew the road would be of use to him.

President Museveni said if the Uganda is to develop, it must allow infrastructure development such as factories.
“Stop fighting factories and again saying that the youth do not have jobs. You are the same people sending the youth to work in factories abroad and yet you are refusing these factories back home,” he said.
The President said that although he has always fought for the construction of more factories so that the youth get jobs time and again he has been accused of having shares in those factories. He asked the public to welcome factories citing that small countries such as South Korea and Japan have been able to develop because of factories. “In the USA, only 2% of the population are into farming and the rest into manufacturing and factories,” he said.

He also asked people to desist fighting factories according to tribes or race saying that all Ugandans have freedom of movement and can set up factories anywhere they want as long as they acquire the land to do so.  “There are people who say that is an Indian factory but all factories in Uganda are Ugandan,” he said.

President Museveni also warned people against encroaching forest reserves and swamps saying that these had greatly contributed to the long dry spells and drought in some areas of the country. He said the country has so many water bodies and government was going to secure pumps to promote irrigation. He also asked the media to teach the
public about the dangers of swamp encroachment such as desertification.

“The media should teach the people that we need that water for irrigation. We do not want our country to become a desert,” he said. On the issue of the forthcoming Local Council elections, the President called upon Ugandans to participate in the elections and to vote for the NRM party. He asked the voters to desist from voting along tribal
lines but rather according to ability.
“There are so may refugees in Bunyoro and it is good that the Banyoro welcomed them but do not vote along tribal lines like in Kenya because you will lose out a lot,” he warned.

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Sand mines

The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) says that it has never given sand mining permits to Chinese to operate in Lwera wetlands in Kalungu district. This follows members of parliament recently protesting against the mining of sand in Lwera wetlands and in Lake Victoria by Chinese.

The Executive Director of National Environment Management Authority, Tom Okrot, told the parliamentary committee on Natural Resources chaired by Kiboga East MP Dr. Keefa Kiwanuka that Ugandan applicants go to NEMA for mining permits in partnership with Chinese. He however says that he has no instructions since government does not deny foreigners permits to engage in mining of sand. He says that though foreigners like Chinese are being resisted they are efficient in mining sand since they use modern machines to carryout mining instead of using hoes. He adds that NEMA is in the process of regulating the digging of fish ponds in wetlands so as wetlands are not abused. He further clarifies that NEMA can only cancel the permits if some one dug the sand mining sites deeper contrary to the law .

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Omalango made the call today Monday 25 July, while speaking to journalists in Kampala. She said such a move will save the environment by providing a suitable atmosphere for farming and drive the economy to the desired levels.

“Many farmers across the world have time and again practiced poor agricultural methods which have in the long run degraded the environment thus causing climate change problems. We need to change this trend in Africa including Uganda in order to save our environment from destruction due to climate related problems,” she noted.

A farmer practicing modern agriculture with his tomato yields.

Omalango says today’s poor environment is a result of climate change which has ushered in a lot  hunger in many African countries  and that this still remains a challenge to most countries which then leads into insecurity.

She warned Uganda on the fast increasing population which she says is strongly and aggressively encroaching on the existing ecological features like wetlands, lakes, rivers, forests among others yet these are the features that are supposed to provide a brighter environment tomorrow for the coming generations.

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Lubigi-Mayanja wetland. Photo: Daily Monitor

The post NEMA to reclaim endangered Lubigi-Mayanja wetland first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

Dr. Frank Sebowa, New Executive Director of UIA

Concerns have been raised over environmental degradation especially on wetlands by investors accredited by the Investment Authority.

Addressing his first news conference as Dr. Sebbowa has explained that the land is legally allocated to the investors but surprisingly some tend to expand into wetlands violating guidelines.

Sebowa says that this is one of the issues that he hopes to tackle immediately as he settles in his new office.

Sr. Sebowa’s appointment brings to an end a 15 month search for the agency’s new executive director.

He replaces Dr. Maggie Kigozi who left in June last year.

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However, the Lands and Environment minister, Miria Mutagamba acknowledges that as an individual she has nothing to do because these investors claim to be having ‘orders’ from above. She was questioning what she should do for the environment if people are receiving orders from above to destroy it.

However she promised to work hand in hand with the local communities and the ministry of lands to stop giving land tittles to areas located in wetlands.

Ends

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 She says that many people have encroached on wetland in Lubigi, Bwaise, Kalerwe and alongEntebberoad. Addressing news men at City Hall building inKampalatoday, Musisi said that construction of structures in city wetlands without prior permission from NEMA and KCCA is illegal and when KCCA destroys the structures their owners would not be compensated.

However some of the people living in city wetlands say that they have land titles issued to them by the same KCCA which now wants to evict them.  

Musisi advises the people who have not yet built houses in wetlands not to do so to avoid losing their money.

The post KCCA to evict encroachers in Kampala first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.