UGANDA: NO GOODWILL ABOUT STOPPING DEFORESTATION IN THE ACHOLI: GOVERNMENT AGENTS ARE PERPETRATORS

 

GULU- SEPTEMBER 9, 2024

By Livingstone Okumu Langol

Anthony Labeja, Bolo clan leader in Lakim Village, Odek Sub-county, Omoro District Friday, August 30, 2024 smoked out a UPDF Captain, Kiyenge Salongo and his other two associates from ferrying off charcoal from the village. The captain and associates had denuded the village of up to 10 acres of trees.

Chairman of Bolo clan, Mr. Anthony Labeja before chasing the trio, ordered them to sign a letter to indicate that they had trespassed on land belonging to one, Aboga Marina from the village.

“Me as the chairman of Bolo clan, I have authority to order you to leave this place immediately.Failure to follow my order, we are going to arrest you and hand you over to Omoro District Environment Department, and you will be prosecuted according to Environmental Act,” Mr. Labeja warned.

Capt. Salongo Kiyenge admitted that he had indeed trespassed but pleaded that he should instead be allowed to pay some compensation and freed.

“I have made the mistake of destroying the environment in this area, but let us stay only tonight since it is raining, and we have nowhere to go,” Salongo pleaded.

Anthony Opwa, the former Local Councilor of Lakim village, who permitted Salongo Kiyenge to cut the trees pleaded guilty for the mistake he had made but asked for forgiveness.

Ouma Geoffrey, said when he contacted Andrew Onyuk, Omoro Residence District Commissioner about the trespass, the RDC laughed it off.

Christopher Oruka, 40 years old, hailing from Owoo Sub County, Gulu District, one of the most affected areas with charcoal burning in Acholi Sub Region lamented that voices of leaders both elected and cultural are not strong enough against the environment destruction.

Oruka claimed that he has been an active advocate against environmental destruction.“I am very happy that when you go to Owoo Sub-County,you will see changes as part of my advocacy, I advocate for mindset change,” Owor claimed.

“Last year, when President Museveni issued Presidential Executive Order Number 3, June 20, 2023, banning charcoal trade in Northern Uganda, I joined Dr. Otto Odonga, the former MP for Aru South County, Pader District, to step up the campaign to stop charcoal trade and tree cutting in Acholi Sub Region, “I became an environmental social activist,” Oruka claimed.

“We went and stopped more than 200,000 bags of charcoal which were destined for Kampala. “We put roadblocks to arrest lorries in hot spots like Amuru District, Paibona, Palaro, and Omel Apem in Gulu District. “We also put road block in Angagura Sub-County in Pader District to arrest charcoal dealers from East Acholi,”Oruka informed about his activism.

“During our operation we found someone who claimed to be a nephew of the powerful Minister of Internal Affairs, Kahinda Otafiire. “We also got a leady called Oliver, of Tiifa Agent in Omel Apem, Paicho Sub-County. “The woman claimed she  is the daughter of former Inspector General of Police (IGP), Okoth Ochola,” said Oruka.

“I have done fact checking myself in Patiko Pawel Paloco village. In Pabbo Sub County we got a man who called himself Kwezira Moses.“We arrested him with other six people.“When we took him to Burcoro Police Station, he admitted having cut Shea nut trees in area spanning ten acres in Pawel. “Later, we learnt that he was released by the Gulu District Police Commander (DPC),” Oruka continued. We could not reach out to Gulu DPC to verify those claims.

“The challenges that we the environmental social activists face is that the Gombola Intelligence Security Officer GISO, Local Councilors 3, and the District Chairman all seem compromised in allowing the vice of environmental degradation to continue,” Oruka claimed.

Oruka also pointed fingers at Forest Rangers as corruptible and allow tree cutting to continue in order to get some bribes. “They are instead promoting tree cutting and charcoal trade,” Oruka said..

Government of Uganda blamed

“The government of Uganda is also not doing enough. There are no transport means to support Police Environmental Units who are supposed to stop the charcoal business.

“The government of Uganda has allocated small budgets for the district forestry officers and the National Forestry Authority. The activist continued. Environmental Social Activists decried that the Government seem protective of top government personalities and relatives who are involved in the illicit charcoal trade.

The activist hailed a UPDF Lt. Kakonge as quite good at manning roadblocks that control the charcoal trade but said he needed a net with a finer mesh because some dealers with patronage from top government officials still go through the roadblocks.

Lt. Kakonge is the UPDF Commander based in Gulu 4^TH UPDF barrack is the Commandant in-charge of Environmental protection, they are engaged in charcoal dealers.

The activist also decried is lack of community sensitization on the dangers of environmental degradation, especially tree cutting. He said members of the community only get peanuts and allow trees in their areas to be cut when the charcoals dealers get very hefty profits. “For a meagre UGX 1.5m, they can allow 10 lorry loads of charcoal to get spirited away,” Oruka claimed.

“You find Gulu District Local Government is basing on the revenue collected from charcoal trade and moreover, some forest rangers make their own receipts and get money for their own pockets. “Stopping charcoal business from Acholi Sub Region has become nightmare, we are doing postmortem on charcoal trade,”Oruka decried.

Oruka claimed the media too has got tired of reporting about the vice of charcoal business in Acholi sub-region and emphasized the need for community sensitization against the vice.

“When you ask the community who are trading in charcoal, why they allow their trees to be cut, they will resort to saying that it is because of poverty, they don’t have money to pay school fees. “Can you imagine?” Oruka decried further.

Oruka also noted that environmental law on charcoal trade is very weak, and does not give a strong penalty against environmental degraders, the fines to culprits are appallingly low. He said for 250 bags of charcoal, one may only be fined a meagre UGX 1m. “The culprit will pay his way and walk free from custody,” Oruka said..

Arthur Owor, an environmental expert said,“The crimes of the environment are being driven by neoliberal forces whose philosophy is all about environmental extraction for economic gains. “They do not care about the environment so long as they extract it for their own gains,” Owor asserted.

Member of Acholi Parliamentary Groups (APG), are up in battle to fight environmental invader in Northern Uganda, the MP are accusing top Uganda government officials, especially Uganda People Defense Forces (UPDF),

The Acholi Parliamentary Groups they are pointing at top Commanders including ministry of Agriculture, animals and fishery of diverting $ 5.10, the World Bank funds grants meant for climate mitigation, says the funds are directly used for forest degradation.

“The government of Uganda has turned blind eyes on lucrative 1 million shea nut trees (Black gold of Northern Uganda), and indigenous tress which was inhabitants of Aswa ranch covering Pader, Lamwo and Kitgum districts in Northern Uganda as Uganda Livestock Industry gives land to Uganda Prison. President Museveni opened Maize, Soybeans farms, the former Members of Parliament from Western Uganda t for Agricultural commercials farming in the ranch”

Hon. Martin Ojara Mapenduzi, the MP for Gulu City Division Layibi-Bardege Division after the Regional Parliamentary sitting that took place on August 28-30, 2024.  The next day, Saturday, August 31, 2024 addressed Members of Northern Uganda Media Club (NUMEC), revealed that   World Bank funding was diverted to open Uganda Government Prison Farms in Aswa Ranch.

In 2020 when drought happened and affected rain patterns in East Africans countries, Uganda as a country was also bearing the brunt; president Museveni ordered Uganda Prison and gave them 10,000 acres of land in Aswa Ranch.

When Uganda Prison farmers went to Aswa Ranch in 2022, they used bulldozers to clear 100,000 acres of shea nut trees and indigenous trees like Afzelia Africana, without considering that the shea nut trees are endangered tree species.” Hon. Martin Ojara Mapenduzi commented

For years since the guns fell silent from Northern Uganda, the UPDF commander has embark on timber logging, trees cutting for charcoal business which Aswa Ranch was not exclusives under the environmental degradation in Aswa Ranch and in Acholi Sub Region has become lucrative booming trade that has attracted the market of the East African steel industries, especially Kenya Steel Industry is exporting Charcoal from Northern Uganda to feed her steel industry productions. The same charcoal trade also gets their route to the United Arab Emirate, UAE and Saudi Arabia also is exporting Charcoal from Northern Uganda, involving high profiles government bureaucracy including UPDF generals and former Inspector General of Police daughter.” Hon. Martin Ojara mooted.

Lazarus Obbo, the former Chairman Local Councilor 3 of Angagura Sub County, Pader District an eyes witness has a story to tell. Obbo says in past Aswa Ranch was a food basket for Shea Nut butter, the surrounding communities that border the ranch used to collect shea nut butter from the ranch. Although the ranch was still under Uganda Livestock Industry, shea nut trees were left and not a single tree was destroyed.

However, in 2022/2023, Uganda Prison went and open farm in Obwol-Odeya village in Aswa ranch which in Goma hill, still under Angagura Sub County, part of the Prison farm cover Laguti Sub County and Abera Sub County, all the shea nut trees has cleared up by Bull Dodger to open up farms.

Later on the Prison department planted Maize; Soya beans as part of Prison farm in Ajan Sub County took them two years. Part of Aswa ranch was given to National Agriculture Research Institute (NAGRI), BANUTI, Aswa, and River Power Energy (ARPE). Generally what has happened is that all the projects enter Aswa ranch without community sanitization, quantization cannot take place within one month but with time.

“If the community is not aware of the project, the project becomes negative. It’s useless proper sanitizations were not made, otherwise the community would have told them that we have indigenous trees and shea nut trees should tell them not to cut down or destroy shea nut trees. The investors and the government institutions that they entered Aswa ranch they even cut traditional cultural tree Afzelia Africana.”

Oryema, the protector and Director of Acholi Broadcasting Services (NBS), hailed from Angagura Sub County live in worry and trauma as shea nut trees in Aswa ranch are slowly being destroyed day by day by the power that be.

Oryema worry stimulates from the fear of the future of the younger generation of the new born  Angagura Sub County who will never be able to see “African black gold shea nut butter” million of shea nut trees the in habitant perennial trees manner dropped by God to feed his people, Oryema decried.

“Surely the aliens come and systematically mooed down our shea nut trees  one by one as our leaders gleefully watches, I know there are those government officials and some individuals sons and daughters from the soil who have turned against the Acholi community to work with those so called investors and UPDF generals to re-enforces shea nut trees destruction in Aswa ranch, turning African back gold into lucrative charcoal dealer and indigenous cultural African Afzelia trees. But, time will tell, God’s plan for mortal beings will not stop.

For now, the Acholi traditional cultural leaders has taken up the mentor to investigate the perpetrators who are behind the Aswa ranch shea nit trees cutting, last week on Wednesday August, 18,2024. The Acholi traditional cultural leadership of Payira council of chief has met the Pader District Chairman, the District Environment Officer and Pader District Councilors in a closed door meeting as part of investigation, and tomorrow Wednesday September 25, 2024, we are going to meet Pader Residence District (RDC), Pader chief Administrative Officer in a fact finding.

“For now the perpetrators are getting the pinch.”   Oryema opening decried for the lost glory of (mo yaa) shea nut butter, locally known. Shea butter oil was not only known as people used it for cooking food. But, most importantly when a new baby is born, before applying body lotion, the mother just smears shea butter oil in her hand and powders shea butter oil in a warm washing calabash. Deep the newborn baby into the water, and massaging the baby, before she finishes washing the kid, the baby would have fallen asleep.” Oryema decried.

Dr. Kenneth Omona, the state minister for Northern Uganda in May, 2024. By the time he was posted to Northern Uganda, vowed to put an end to tree cutting. During tree planting launchson says our trees are history, medicine, culture when the down pourer occurs, if you don t have trees you will be swimming in flood, so let us protect our trees.

The state Minister for Northern Uganda suppressed everyone with his remark, when he said the British Prime Minister, when he reached Uganda on 16, August 1907, my  African journey to Africa, Churchill when he reached Uganda he described it as a pearl of Africa.

This month of August 16, was my birth day, when I went to Nwoya district, to my place  I have planted 100 seedling of (Beyo) Afzelia Africana, it has been found that when people have trees like Beyo, Mahogany there is no mental problem.

“{This is when the community learn the culture of development and has transformation when you don’t know the spices of trees your language then the culture is dead, for those who are cutting down our trees and destroying our shea nut trees let them know” Dr. Kenneth Omona wondered.

Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny Dollo Chigamoi says what defeat me from your ministry of Water and Environment; the law which was made in 2021 on Environment, the law was good. If anything the law says the ordinary person can sue District Residence Commissioner by not taking the action on Environmental degradation that has been taking place in Northern Uganda.

“When Hon Odonga Otto was running around, I told him why you can go to the source where trees are being cut, we have called names shame.” Chief Justice Owiny Dollo argued.

We in (Roco Paco), society revival, me and my brother Amb. Dr. Olara Otunnu Roco Paco is revival of our society, issues of tree cutting. Yesterday we met Gen Salim Saleh, the younger brother to President Museveni, we quarrel that why can we talk about wealth creation which dealt with environmental degradation.

In Adlilang me and one Rwot we went motor- cycle we found that the trees are being cut kilo meters and kilo meters. The owner of the land does not know that he is losing value of wealth, they are getting little money.

“In the past in Patongo Sub County when we were growing there was stream around our homestead which has Frogs that would announced the coming of the rain, they would make loud crying, but for us as young kids we thought that the Frogs was making noise, yet they were forewarning us about rainfall. “In Aswa encasement they are going to cutting the trees”

And what surprised me, the next 50 meter homestead next to our home; we could not even see, but now no more grasses and tree plantation.”Chief Justice Owiny Dollo decried.

Adds on then this new invitation called Balaalo, and the Karamojong, whenever, I go I get the Balaalo issues of cutting and destroying trees in Aswa Ranch, is what is called Aswa Ranch, they have been cutting down trees that those trees are being ferry in the death of the night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A soldier inspects charcoal heading down town from Guu District. Environmental activist, Oruka gives some credits to the soldiers for controlling the business but also accuses them of not doing enough to net dealers with patronage from top government officials (File photo).

 

 

The UPDF inspects over 10,000 charcoal arrested when President Museveni issued Presidential Order No. 3 banning charcoal business.Top government officials, including Uganda Police Forces, UPDF Commanders and Ministers have been accused of being. part of charcoal trade
(File Photo)