Prime
Among condemns force used in Lubigi evictions, demands govt response
Ms Diana Nakiganda, 37, with her child at their makeshift shelter on June 18, 2024 after their house was demolished during the evictions from Lubigi Wetland. PHOTO/NOELINE NABUKENYA
What you need to know:
- Leader of the Opposition (LOP) Mr Joel Ssenyonyi, echoed similar concerns, pointing out the presence of a police station and a fuel station that remain untouched within the same area.
Speaker of Parliament, Ms Anita Among, has criticised the forceful evictions carried out by state agencies against residents of the Lubigi wetlands in Wakiso district.
During the Wednesday plenary session, Ms Among expressed disapproval of the excessive force used by Police and National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) officers during the demolitions and evictions.
She demanded a clear explanation from the government regarding the apparent "selective enforcement" where some structures, like malls in wetlands, are built without intervention, while others face demolition.
“Much as we are not supposed to interfere with the enforcement bodies of NEMA, but by the time somebody starts construction and settles in a place for years, and NEMA isn’t getting to know that this is a gazetted area, then there is a problem,” she said.
Leader of the Opposition (LOP) Mr Joel Ssenyonyi, echoed similar concerns, pointing out the presence of a police station and a fuel station that remain untouched within the same area.
"People are questioning the double standards. Right in the middle of that area, there is a police station, everything around it has been demolished, except the police station," Mr Ssenyonyi said.
He added: “And so the people are saying why? Right in the middle of that area, there is a fuel station. And so they are bothered, some were saying, they settled in that area before the Police station was built and so they are trying to understand, why the double standards. Government needs to engage with citizens and help them understand, why the double standards."
Ms Among tasked the government to make a formal government statement on the matter, but the session was adjourned before a response was provided.
NEMA officials have been forcefully evicting residents they believe are illegally occupying the Lubigi Swamp in Wakiso District for the past two weeks. These actions have drawn criticism from a section of leaders who condemn the government's heavy-handed approach.
