There has been growing evidence that forest land grabbing and wetland encroachment by both individuals as well as a powerful alliance of international corporations and government officials is one of the major factors currently driving this loss of forest cover.
Najja Nasiif, the Wakiso District Speaker said that the Lands Commission is conspiring with prominent government officials to grab Entebbe Forest land.
“There are prominent officials from the government who grabbed and distributed amongst themselves the Entebbe forest land,” he said.
Nasiif noted that, the local forest reserve in question which was reserved for afforestation is found in Kabala village, Katabi Sub County and is equivalent to 170 acres.
However, according to the Wakiso District officials, plans for planting a forest on the land have been on going but they have been sabotaged by a section of people claiming to be working with the State House.
“They claimed to have planted trees on the land yet the state house officials have on several occasions’ grazed animals that eat up and destroy the trees,” Nasiif said.
He further pointed out Christine Namara as one of the people grazing cows on the land, and whose husband works with State House as a Special Forces Command (SFC) Commander.
Nasiif stated that they use the grazing process to interrupt the planting and growth of trees on the land.
He further asserted that apart from Namara grazing on the land and destroying trees, the District leaders have come across a list of 46 prominent government officials who have distributed the land amongst themselves.
The Wakiso District Speaker revealed that, the officials bought each acre of land at Ugx 2.4million yet a plot of land which is 50/100 is valued at Ugx 80million.
Nasiif further claimed that, the officials connived with the Uganda Lands Commission which is well known for forgery and produced a fake land title.
The District officials from Wakiso added that the Ministry of Lands and the Uganda Lands Commission are responsible for producing fake land titles for the land in question yet it is the responsibility of the District to produce land titles for the land that belongs to the district.
