Lands Minister Judith Nabakooba has vowed to present the issue of over 9,000 locals from Kasambya Sub County, who are living on land within the Mubende Central Forest Reserve, to President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
This development follows a plea from the locals, who are living in fear of eviction by the National Forestry Authority (NFA) for encroaching on Muyinayina Central Forest Reserve, a protected area covering 1,067 hectares.
During a community meeting on November 9, 2024, in Katungulu Village, Mayinayina Parish, Kasambya Sub County, Nabakooba assured the affected families that she would take their concerns to the President.
“We are now going to fight hard to ensure this land is degazetted so you can settle peacefully because you have developed it, and there is nowhere else you can go if NFA proceeds with the eviction,” Nabakooba told the concerned residents.
The minister made the statement during a gathering of the Bagagga Kwagalana Group, a local savings and investment group. At the meeting, one member was awarded Shs30 million from the group’s savings. Nabakooba also praised the group for their commitment to saving and encouraged other Ugandans to adopt a similar culture to improve their living standards.
“Embrace the saving culture if you can because, in the end, you will see the returns, and it will help you invest in something productive,” she said.
Bagagga Kwagalana Group consists of 30 members, each saving Shs1,050,000. Every month, one member is selected to receive Shs30 million. Additionally, members are encouraged to contribute extra funds, which are distributed to support their businesses.
Mr. William Tumwizera, chairperson of Bagagga Kwagalana, explained that the group had been formed three years ago with the goal of improving their members’ livelihoods. He shared that their collective savings now total Shs30 million, which is kept in a treasury for members to borrow when necessary.
However, Tumwizera expressed deep concern over the ongoing eviction threats from the NFA, especially since many members have invested significantly in the land, which is situated within the forest reserve.
“We are 9,000 people living on this land, and that number only includes adults. The children are not counted. Our investments are all tied to this land. If we are evicted, it would leave us destitute,” Tumwizera told the minister.
He appealed for the government’s intervention, stressing that the community in Kasambya has been a strong supporter of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party, and evicting them would be a grave injustice.
This issue is not new. In 2018, the government, represented by then-State Minister for Environment Dr. Mary Goretti Kitutu, intervened to halt the eviction of locals from three Mubende forests by the NFA. Kitutu instructed the NFA to begin the process of degazetting these forests to allow local residents to remain on the land they had developed. These forests include Kasolo Forest Reserve (3,244 hectares) in Kigando Sub County, Lusiba Forest Reserve (670 hectares) in Nabingoola Sub County, and Muyinayina Forest Reserve.
The ongoing dispute highlights the tension between conservation efforts and the livelihood concerns of local communities, and the government’s response will likely shape the future of land management and forest conservation policies in Uganda.
