HOIMA CITY WETLAND ENCROACHERS ORDERED TO VACATE IMMEDIATELY

By Innocent Atuganyira
www.mknewslink.com
In Hoima—

Hoima City Security Committee has ordered all wetland encroachers to vacate with immediate effects before they are forcefully pushed.

In an exclusive interview with our reporter, Badru Mugabi the Resident City Commissioner {RCC} Hoima said that they were given a directive by the president of the republic of Uganda to evict all those who encroached on wetlands.

“For the case of Hoima City we have petitioned all those in the wetlands to remove either their crops, houses or projects before we forcefully evict them,” he said.

Mugabi added that they will have to follow the legal procedure to evict these people from the wetlands but if they fail to comply they will have to use force to evict them since others have already been arrested and taken to court.

In June this year, President Museveni ordered all encroachers out of wetlands across the country with immediate effect.

According to Museveni, there should be no negotiations with encroachers, who have deliberately invaded wetlands and settled there.

The President, however, said there are people who were forced into wetlands by the colonial government would be compensated, but those who willfully settled in and conducted illegal activities in wetlands would be kicked out without any compensation.

Museveni said they don’t have to negotiate because they knew it was not right but they insisted.
He said Uganda has fertile soils, but for agriculture to be sustainable even during the dry season, there must be a constant source of water through irrigation.
He said if the wetlands are protected from degradation, it will be possible to engage in such irrigation schemes.