Authorities defy Museveni on forest reserve land

President Museveni, through his senior advisor, Lt Gen Proscovia Nalweyiso, directed that the residents settle on this part of the forest reserve, a move the Mayuge District officials led by the district chairperson, Mr Frank Tibagendeka, opposed.

In her September 27 letter, Lt Gen Nalweyiso ordered the district chairperson to “immediately back off and let the pillars planting exercise take place for resettlement of the affected families.

“. . . I am  surprised and concerned about your failure to implement my directive on the allocated land in Malongo Sub-county in Mayuge District; I, therefore, direct that you back off immediately and let the pillars planting exercise take place for the resettlement of the affected families,’’ the letter reads in part.

Lt Gen Nalweyiso’s letter came after a September 24 letter Mr Mwandha had written to the President seeking his intervention in the move by the district authority to block the final process of implementing his (Mr Museveni’s) directive.

“The sector authority dispatched a technical team of surveyors, both from the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban development (MLHUD), and the National Forestry Authority (NFA) to proceed to commence the pillars planting exercise . . . ; but the District leadership totally blocked the exercise on the pretext that they were not aware,’’ part of Mr Mwandha’s letter reads.

Mr Mwandha said the Prime Minister, Attorney General, ministers and Permanent Secretaries of the Ministries of Water and Environment and MLHUD have allegedly officially communicated to the district authorities.

Mr Mwandha alleged that Mr Tibagendeka held a meeting and resolved to table the matter in council, with intention to block the implementation of the presidential exercise.

“They intend to pass a resolution mandating them to take over the oversight of the pillars planting exercise and resettlement of their own (close) confidants on the land, while the true beneficiaries are blocked,’’ he said.

He added: “The Local Government must leave the issues to the central government because the land belongs to the NFA and is between the President and residents; we have suffered for the past 30 years, so, if they defy the directives, we shall sue them.”

Efforts to get a comment from Mr Tibagendeka were fruitless as he did not respond to our repeated phone calls.

Developments
On May 24, 2021, the Permanent Secretary in the MLHUD, Ms Dorcas Okalany, wrote to the Mayuge District chief administrative officer, Mr Richard Gulume, saying a survey team would commence activities three days later (May 28) and asked for “continued necessary support as may require during the execution of their work”.

And in his September 15 letter to the Mayuge resident district commissioner, the NFA Executive Director, Mr Tom Okello, said: “...the NFA and the MLHUD are in the process of surveying and installing pillars along the boundaries of land to remain as central forest reserve and the land to be allocated to the local communities as per the presidential directive of February 2021.”

Mr Richard reaffirmed government commitment to give back part of the land housing South Busoga central forest reserve in Mayuge District to the locals.

“There is no cause for alarm between the affected residents and district authorities; the presidential directive still stands as discussions to settle the matter amicably get underway,’’ he said.

Background
In his February 4, 2011 letter to the Ministry of Water and Environment, President Museveni directed that the land be given to the wananchi following public outcry regarding “unfair deprivation of their land and their intended eviction by NFA”.

Accordingly, the community would take the land sitting on 48 villages, NFA takes land planted with trees, including for the forestry college, the forest cover be demarcated for the conservation of the lake shores, while all settlers within a 200-metre radius were asked to vacate.