Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, the Member of Parliament for Kira Municipality, was briefly detained on Wednesday during a protest in Kasokosa against the ongoing evictions by the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA).
Nganda was arrested by the police while addressing community members in Kasokosa, Kira Sub-county, regarding the evictions by NEMA and the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) in the area. He was then taken away by the authorities.
The residents had gathered to meet Nganda and Ronald Balimwezo, the Member of Parliament for Nakawa East, to discuss how to resist the impending NEMA and UNRA operations and evictions in Kasokosa.
Reports indicate that they had mobilized people from over 12 villages to attend the meeting, but upon arrival, they were met with a heavy police and UPDF presence.
Authorities claimed they were unaware of the scheduled meeting before arresting Nganda and returning him to his home in Kirinya.
According to Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesman Patrick Onyango, security forces were deployed at the venue to prevent the meeting from taking place. Onyango further disclosed that six suspects were arrested and detained at Kira Division, facing charges of inciting violence and malicious damage.
Dr. Barirega Akankwasah, the executive director of NEMA, recently explained that compensating wetland encroachers is not provided for by law. “The government cannot therefore compensate encroachers, as this would not only invite more encroachments but also be a tacit approval of illegality,” he stated.
Under Section 55 of the National Environment Act, 2019, encroaching on wetlands is illegal and carries severe penalties, including a maximum sentence of 12 years in jail, a fine of up to Shs 600 million, or both upon conviction.
Before NEMA can initiate eviction proceedings, they must issue a restoration order under Section 133 of the National Environment Act, 2019. This order grants encroachers 21 days to restore the wetland to its original state, vacate the premises, or appeal the order in court. If the encroacher fails to comply within the specified timeframe, NEMA is authorized to use force to remove them and restore the area, with the costs borne by the violator.
