IGG storms NFA offices over forest land allocations, jobs
Farmers inspect gardens security personnel destroyed during operations against encroachment on forest land at Kiwumpa Village in Masaka District in September 2024. PHOTO/ANOTNIO KALYANGO
What you need to know:
- The Ombudsman says her office has also received complaints about procurements and mismanagement.
The Inspector General of Government (IGG) has launched investigations into the National Forestry Authority (NFA) following public outcry and whistleblower reports regarding its management, procurement practices, recruitment, and the allocation of forest land to private individuals.
On Friday morning, the IGG, Ms Beti Kamya, accompanied by a team of investigators from her office, stormed NFA headquarters in Bugolobi, Kampala City, as part of the probe.
“We received 34 cases from Mbarara, Hoima, Mukono, Kampala, Bududa, Kabarole, and other districts, citing mismanagement, poor governance, and the illegal allocation of forest land to private individuals. As the office of the IGG, we are mandated by law, and we intend to spend three months here interrogating and investigating these claims. We are here to uncover the truth and expect full cooperation,” Ms Kamya said during the inspection.
She added: “There are numerous issues at the NFA that are not in the best interest of Ugandan citizens. We did not want to give prior notice, which is why we arrived with a full team. Whenever a case involves sums exceeding Shs1 billion, we classify it as high-profile and devote significant time to it.”
According to the IGG, the investigation is expected to last three months, during which the IGG team will scrutinise all operations to ensure compliance with regulations.
Information from NFA indicates that Uganda has more than 506 central forest reserves spread across the country, covering an area of more than 1,265,000 hectares, and has 366 staff with a budget of Shs24.7b and Shs49bn from donors.
Mr Stuart Maniraguha, NFA’s acting executive director, said by 2003, when the current law was enacted, 70 percent of forests were on private and communal land, while 30 percent were under central, local government control and Uganda Wildlife Authority.
“Previously, Uganda had 70 percent forest cover, but this has reduced to 45 percent. Meanwhile, the percentage of forests under Central Government control has increased from 30 percent to 65 percent, largely because private forests have been cleared,” Mr Maniraguha said.
He added: “The NFTA Act, Section 27, which states that the government has no claim over trees on private land; such trees belong to the landowner. While NFA provides guidelines for private forests, enforcement remains an issue.”
Mr Maniraguha has welcomed the investigation
“We are going to provide all the necessary information including even those who have encroached on the forest land and some are politicians. Maybe the investigation will also speed up the cancellation of land titles who have encroached on the land,” he said.
NFA is one of the agencies that has been affected by the ongoing rationalisation. Its roles will be reverted to the Water and Environment ministry.
WHAT THE LAW SAYS
The National Forestry and Tree Planting Act categorizes forests in Uganda into five types; Central Forest Reserves that are managed by the NFA, Local Forest Reserves, which are managed by district local authorities through the District Forest Services, Community Forests which are managed communally, commonly found in the eastern and northern parts of the country; Forests with Wildlife and privately owned forests
