Govt moves to halt land bonanza in central forest reserves
Ms Christine Kaaya, the Kiboga District Woman Member of Parliament(C) officiates at the launch of the launch of Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE)’s report on the impact of climate change on women’s rights. Left is Ms Joanne Akiiza, Senior Program Officer Gender and Legal Affairs, at NAPE and Right is Mr Wilber Bateisibwa, a policy analyst and Lecturer at Uganda Management Institute (UMI). PHOTO / JANE NAFULA
What you need to know:
- The report documents how women are greatly affected by climate change impact given the caring roles placed on them by society, as well as gender-based violence, conflicts, and migration triggered by climate change.
Parliament together with the Ministry of Water and Environment has resolved to halt the degazattement of central forest reserves, amid escalating effects of climate change, Ms Christine Kaaya, the Kiboga District woman legislator has disclosed.
“Together with the Ministry of Water and Environment, we are putting on hold the degazzetement of forests. Based on our dwindling forest acreages and the heat wave that we have experienced in the past two months, we cannot afford to lose more forest cover,” she said at the sidelines of the launch of Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE)’s report on the impact of climate change on women’s rights, held in Kampala on Tuesday.
The report documents how women are greatly affected by climate change impact given the caring roles placed on them by society, as well as gender-based violence, conflicts, and migration triggered by climate change.
Ms Kaaya who doubles as shadow Minister for Water and Environment in the National Unity Platform (NUP) party said individuals who are submitting applications for degazettement permits should stop with immediate effect, so that the reserves can go back to its original use.
This she said would help restore the lost forest cover and minimize the effects of climate change that Ugandans are currently grappling with, including prolonged drought and erratic rains that remain a threat to the country’s food security.
In 2019, government rejected move to degazette 22 urban forests citing failure by district and municipality authorities to follow the legal and procedural requirements.
Officials from the Ministry of Water and Environment cited limited consultations of stakeholders, inadequate environmental impact assessment, failure to conduct land evaluations by a professional land valuer both for the proposed forest reserves and land for exchange.
The district and municipality authorities had requested to degazzete the forest reserves and exchange them with alternative land.
They included, Namanve in Mukono, Kutubulu in Wakiso, and in Jinja, Soroti, Mbale, Nebbi, Lira Fort portal, Kalangala, Mbarara and Gulu.
Ms Kaaya also commended the Ministry of lands for canceling land titles acquired by individuals in forest reserves and wetlands.
In January 2020, government cancelled at least 200 land titles in central forest reserves in Mukono and Wakiso Districts.
Ms Joanne Akiiza, Senior Program Officer Gender and Legal Affairs at NAPE said using ecofeminist approach which looks at how women can collectively demand their rights to land, natural resources and protection would able them enjoy their rights.
“They will have equal rights that relate to social, economic, cultural and political rights where they can make decisions about natural resource management and land ownership. Majority of women in Uganda are land users as opposed to land owners and yet they have to till land and put food on the table,’’ she noted.
Mr Wilber Bateisibwa, a policy analyst and Lecturer at Uganda Management Institute(UMI) said government and other decision makers should adopt feminist approach to addressing the impact of climate change to prioritize the needs of vulnerable groups.
