Adjumani, (UG):- Friends of Zoka a pressure group that was formed to protect Zoka Central Forest and its Natural resources in Adjumani District have demanded explanations from Hon Herbert Edmund Ariko, the chairman of the Natural Resources Committee of Parliament on allegations of insubordination.
The pressure group wants the Soroti City MP to explain why his committee twice defied the directives of the deputy speaker of parliament Thomas Tayebwa instructing them to travel to Zoka forest to determine the level of depletion and establish the powerful persons perpetrating illegalities.
“Given the high stakes of some UPDF commanders and certain high profile government officials in Zoka forest if Members of Parliament which is deemed a neutral institution or arm of government is defying orders of its leader, it clearly demonstrates outright compromise of the committee heads and it has already created mutual mistrust, suspicion and loss of trust in the Institution of parliament”.
The team leader of Friends of Zoka Mr. Amanzuru William in his brief to journalists on February 20, 2025, in is office in Adjumani said the attention of the deputy speaker Thomas Tayebwa was drawn after he was hosted on Hard Questions Talk show on August 15, 2024, by a renown Ugandan journalist Mr. Solomon Serwanja, the director African Institute of Investigative Journalism.
The Deputy Speaker, Hon Tayebwa Thomas who was moved by the awful evidence presented in the talk show invited them for interface and upon submission of same evidence to him, he accordingly instructed the committee of natural resources to move for a fact-finding mission in Zoka forest and report to parliament within one month but the MPs defied the instruction according to Mr Amanzuru.
The audiovisual and other forms of evidence that was broadcast live unearthed the involvement of the military and powerful government officials in illegal charcoal production, lumbering and logging among other illegalities and the officers involved claimed to be acting on the invisible constitution of Uganda called “Orders from above”. Field officers of UWA and NFA watched unabated pointing to a situation of helplessness.
”When we made a follow-up in the office of the deputy speaker, on January 26, 2025, and informed him the situation is worsening as the committee of Natural Resources did not take his instruction and the forest is on the verge of depletion, the deputy speaker once again in his wisdom during a parliamentary sitting on the same day directed that the MPs on Natural resources travel to Zoka to establish the authenticity of the report of Friends of Zoka”.
The deputy speaker accordingly ordered that the MPs be expressly facilitated so that they would not delay in carrying out their oversight role and the committee chairman Hon.Ariko Hebert MP Soroti City East constituent scheduled the travel on February 5, 2025.
“But on the eve of their travel date the vice chairman of the committee Hon.Feta MP Geofrey MP Ayivu County, Arua district sent me a message on WhatsApp indicating that their trip to Zoka forest was called off indefinitely and would communicate after a new date is fixed”. Amanzuru dejectedly affirms.
Hon. Ariko could not respond to telephone calls and WhatsApp messages seeking for commend and his deputy Hon. Feta said most of them have been taken away by equally important assignments’ and that the district leadership and Adjumani MPs have been notified of the changes.
Mr Dulu Lawrence a civil society activist says he strongly believes the MPs could have been compromised by the mafias who are profiteering from the plunder of Zoka forest as security chiefs in Northern Uganda especially the UPDF command in the 4th infantry division based in Gulu have paid deaf ears and closed eyes as the Forest is on the verge of extinction.
Mr Dulu said it is on record that in 2016, the then Adjumani RDC Agnes Akelo divulged during an interview with the Vison Publications newspaper that UPDF commanders in the area were responsible for perpetuating illegal lumbering in the forest and months later the RDC Akelo was alongside the DPC Peter Ojokuna implicated by community in Zoka in massive illegal lumbering leading to creation of inter-ministerial committee to investigate the allegations but the report was not conclusive.
The furious Adjumani district chairman Mr Anyama Ben said he has not received any communication from parliament and is therefore not in any position to comment on the matter referring DailyExpress to Adjumani East County MP Mamawi James who was equally not in the know but promised to make a follow up.
Zoka forest which covers 25.000 hectares is situated in the Southern part of Adjumani and sits in East Madi Wild Life Reserve covering an area of 827 km2, it is a natural tropical rainforest which is home to close to 50 mammalian species plus several primate species and an endemic flying squirrel which is found only in Zoka forest. It has 150 bird species making it a haven for bird viewers and nature devotees.
It has more than 300 plant varieties including large mahogany trees, Afzelia Africana (Africana Oak) and shea nut trees. Unfortunately, the forest faces significant threats from deforestation, charcoal burning and encroachment for agriculture which have destroyed over 60%of the forest cover with no practical conservation efforts.
It is not known when the MPs on the Committee of Natural Resources will travel to Zoka forest to do the assignment otherwise Zoka forest is rapidly bleeding with no rescue operations in plan and the community neighbouring the forest believes the ultimate option is to engage in enforcement and arrest those involved in illegalities which includes; lumbering, charcoal burning, logging and land opening for farming.
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