KABALE: Farmers petition parliament over Museveni’s directive on wetland eviction

Kabale, (UG): Thousands of concerned farmers from Kigezi Region districts of Kabale, Rubanda, and Rukiga districts have signed a petition to present to the Speaker of Parliament to halt the ongoing forceful eviction of landowners from wetlands under the presidential directive until a common consensus is reached.

In late December 2023, authorities in the three districts began destroying crops grown by locals in wetlands and issued directives prohibiting further cultivation in these areas.

This action followed President Yoweri Museveni’s directive issued in early December 2023, which required the forceful eviction of all individuals still cultivating in wetlands.

On Wednesday afternoon, the leaders of the affected farmers presented copies of the petition to URN in Kabale town, intending to table it before the office of the parliamentary speaker before the end of the week with 1000 names and signatures appended to it.

Denis Ndyomugyenyi Nzeirwe, a farmer from Katuna town council who is leading petitioners told our reporter that the eviction is set to leave dairy farmers who have been feeding their cows from wetlands to lose 5.4 billion Shillings from milk and 6.2 billion shillings from meat they sell per year.

Justus Muhangi of Muhangi and Partners Advocates, who represented the lawyers stated that the forceful eviction is affecting approximately 32,000 households in Kabale, Rukiga, and Rubanda.