Ms Jacqueline Joyce Swende, 97, asks government to intervene in Nakuwadde Village, Wakiso District.
There is growing animosity among residents of Wakiso Sub-county in Wakiso District after the National Environment Management Authority (Nema) marked more houses for demolition in the ongoing joint exercise aimed at restoring wetlands in Uganda.
The affected villages are in Nakuwadde-Bbira and Ganda-Nasere, where officials from Nema have marked houses of about 300 people.
Mr Mathias Kisitu, a resident of Nakuwadde, said they will not watch as Nema officials erase their houses, which they say are outside the gazetted swamps.
“Some of these houses are located on dry land with no trenches like most of the structures which were earlier demolished. Let Nema come up and draw clear boundaries, this is not a wetland,” Mr Kisitu protested.
Residents gather outside houses that were marked for demolition in Nakuwadde Village.
Local leaders led by Mr Silas Kasaato, Wakiso District councillor, have vowed to mobilise affected residents to demonstrate if Nema continues marking houses for demolition.
“We have agreed that once we see Nema again, we shall just blow whistles to alert residents to start protesting. If there are people interested in our land, they should be open to us instead of terrorising people,” Mr Kasaato said.
Tension escalated when police clashed with residents carrying placards, notices, and stones. Police dispersed crowds using teargas after residents burnt tyres on the tarmac and threatened to storm the office of the chairperson of Ganda.
These protests, led predominantly by youth, who had built houses in the recently mapped areas, have persisted for two days. The unrest intensified after the body of a resident, only identified as Magambo, was found in his house. Residents allege that his death was linked to Nema’s evictions, claiming he died after his house was marked for demolition.
Locals say this is the second person who has lost a life under similar circumstances after another person identified as Patrick Mugoya, a resident of Ganda-Nasere, allegedly died after receiving news that his house was also mapped for demolition.
Some commercial shops in that were marked by Nema in Wakiso.
Mr Kasaato noted that Magambo, a clothing hawker, was reportedly traumatised upon discovering his house had been earmarked.
“We are going to lose more people if the operation continues. People thought they had sacrificed to secure a good future for their children because most of them have just constructed houses on their plots,” Mr Kasaato said.
Mr Fred Myelo, a resident of Ganda-Nasere, said they thought Nema was only evicting Lubigi swamp dwellers.
“We know the boundary of Lubigi. Now what is Nema looking for in Bbira? If they are evicting people along the trench, clear information should be passed,” he said.
Residents demonstrate against the planned demolition of houses in Nakuwadde, Wakiso District, yesterday. PHOTOs | MICHAEL KAKUMIRIZI
Mr William Lubuulwa, a senior communications officer at Nema, announced a halt to the demolition exercise, stating that further communication would be made once it resumes.
Mr Brian Kasumba, a landlord in Ganda, who led the protests to the chairperson’s office yesterday, expressed worry that his guest house and rental properties, which have been mapped for demolition, would lead to significant financial loss.
“I’m a young man who is still figuring out life but if you come out at this time to put me back to zero, I cannot keep calm,” he said amid protests.
Mr Nobert Akaheebwa, a landlord in Nakuwadde, intimated that he legally acquired his plot through the office of the area chairperson and invested more than Shs250 million to develop it.
He said the land was bought at Shs55m. Mr Girivazio Twinomujuni, a landlord in Nakuwadde Trading Centre, who built a commercial building in 2017, is dismayed at the prospect of losing his Shs80 million investment.
A flat belonging to 97-year-old Jacqueline Joyce Swende that Nema marked for demolition in Nakuwadde, Wakiso.
“I used more than Shs80 million but now I’m out of words because this is the only investment I have,” he said.
Mr Alfred Kyakabare, a father of 11, fears the demolitions will leave his family homeless.
“I have a very beautiful structure where I stay with my children but I also have other rentals that are still under construction,” he said.
Mr Christopher Nuwagaba, a resident of Nakuwadde, who has spent 15 years developing his plot with a residential house and 10 rentals, appealed for government intervention, suspecting that someone might be using Nema to grab their land.
“They are yet to mark my houses but they assured us we are the next on the line up in the next phase when they come back to mark houses,” he said, adding that he had spent more than Shs250 million to develop his plot.
“Let President Museveni come on board to save the situation because all the authorities in charge are under his control,” Mr Nuwagaba said.
Ms Jacqueline Joyce Swende, a 97-year-old Congolese national, is also affected, with her under-construction structure marked for demolition.
“I decided to put up this flat to get money from tenants because I can no longer go back to my home country because of conflicts and wars that break out occasionally,” Ms Swende said.
Meanwhile, in Nabweru, residents who received restoration orders are anxious as the 21-day notice period ended on July 8.
The affected people, including schools, received Nema letters on July 17.
The schools include Bristol Academy, Twinkle Star Junior School, and Linnet Junior School.
Mr Lubuulwa advised school proprietors to negotiate with Nema for a grace period to allow primary seven candidates to complete their final exams, emphasising Nema’s openness to discussions. “Nema is a great listener and when we issue restoration orders, we are open for discussions. But I have never heard any school coming out complaining,” he said.
