Residents reject 3km Source of Nile project

Residents in Bukaya West and Bukaya East villages in Njeru Town, Buikwe District, have rejected a plan by the government to expand the source of the Nile by a radius of three kilometres.

Last month, the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife, and Antiquities, announced that it was looking for land covering a 3km radius to develop the source of the Nile master plan.

The source of the Nile is surrounded by Njeru Municipality Council in Buikwe District on the side of Buganda and Jinja City in Busoga Sub-Region.

At least 300 homesteads in the two villages in Njeru Division, Njeru Municipality in Buikwe District are expected to be affected by the project.

Mr Frank Kayemba, a Bukaya East resident, said they cannot embrace a project where they were not involved in the initial planning.

“We just hear about the plan [to expand the source of River Nile] yet we are the ones going to be affected,’’ Mr Kayemba said on Tuesday.

Mr Robert Okalang, another resident of Bukaya East, said it is high time the government came out with clear information on how the project is going to be executed.

“The government and the investor should use the legal procedures in acquiring land for expanding the source of the Nile.  The first master plan document indicated 3kms (with 1.5kms on the side of Jinja and 1.5kms on the Njeru side), but now, we hear it has changed to 300 metres, which is which?” he asked.

Bukaya West Village chairperson Jimmy Okee said some residents are still confused about the radius of the planned expansion.

“What is disturbing people is that they are getting conflicting information about the project.

Once that is addressed, all residents will embrace the project because they will also benefit from it,” he said.

During the launch of the Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) last month at the Source of Nile Hotel in Jinja City, Dr Kosea Wambaka, a consultant of the Source of the Nile Development Project, said the 3-kilometre radius will cover both sides of the Source of the Nile River bank in Jinja and Njeru.

 “Owners of land and property will be compensated based on valuation rates developed by district land boards and approved by the Office of Chief Government Valuer,” he said

Mr Jimmy Kigozi, the principal tourism officer at the Ministry of Tourism Wildlife and Antiquity, said the project aims to transform the Nile’s Source to a world-class status. The project is expected to start in the next financial year and will take 18 months with the construction of an observation tower and pier on the Jinja side where the Jinja City Council offered the land.

However, it is still unclear how much money the project will cost as concerned authorities said the government is in the final stages of procuring a contractor.

In an interview last Friday, Dr Wambaka said they are going to continue engaging residents in Njeru about the project.

“The proposed 3km radius will be considered in the long run, we shall start with the 300 metres from the buffer zone on either side of the river, the buffer zone measures 100 metres from the river,” he explained.