Police commanders ordered to enforce Museveni ban on charcoal

Police have issued a directive to all territorial commanders to combat illegal export of timber and destructive charcoal production, dealing and transportation with immediate effect.

According to the Force’s spokesperson, Mr Fred Enanga the directive is in line with the presidential ban on the unsustainable harvesting of trees for timber and veneer exports.

"All our territorial commanders, have with immediate effect been tasked to combat the illegal export of timber, destructive charcoal production, dealing and transportation, in close coordination with support teams from NFA [National Forestry Authority], customs, Ministry of Trade, Local Governments and other Sister Security Agencies," Mr Enanga said in the Wednesday statement.

"All timber traders, transporters, middlemen and locals, who often work in complex networks to facilitate the illegal transportation of timber across our land or water borders, are warned that it is now an illegality to export timber out of the country," he added.

In the May 24 executive order No.3, President Museveni guided that only Factories processing timber within Uganda for production of plywood, furniture and other value-added products, should be allowed to operate but with sustainable tree planting and harvesting plans.

Mr Enanga noted that police's joint task team will be targeting noncompliant dealers, who will try to skirt the Presidential directive.

He said: "Our task teams have been tasked to identify and target all timber trafficking hotspots, with emphasis on land, air and water border points, as well as big companies, criminal elites, politicians, unscrupulous dealers, who will attempt to skirt the Presidential Directive."

"We therefore, have a zero tolerance towards anyone who defies this executive order, by engaging in the illegal export of timber."

The presidential ban on charcoal burning, dealing and transportation has since caused energy scarcity and subsequent hike in the prices of cooking energy, especially charcoal in most of the urban centres, with the asking price for a sack of charcoal heaped to full capacity in Kampala increasing from Shs80, 000 to Shs160, 000, according to a survey by this publication.