Wakiso denies allocating Lubigi wetland for an industrial park
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Wakiso District officials have rejected reports that part of Lubigi wetland was allocated for industrial development, with the chief administrative officer threatening legal action against those spreading the claim.
Wakiso District officials have distanced themselves from reports that Lubigi wetland has been allocated for the establishment of an industrial park, challenging those behind the allegations to provide evidence of the decision.
The reports, circulating on social media, indicated that the government intends to allocate part of the wetland for industrial development, raising concern among district leaders and residents. According to Wakiso District Chief Administrative Officer Jude Mark Bukenya, he neither participated in the process nor has authority over Lubigi wetland. "The biggest part of Lubigi is not even in Wakiso, and I don't have a land title. How can they say I gave it out? Let them bring evidence," he told Daily Monitor on Thursday, adding that he would take legal action against individuals he said were spreading false information to tarnish his reputation.
The matter was raised a day earlier during the district budget conference, where Lubwama Mukubabyasi, a member of the Wakiso Development Forum, asked the district's natural resources department to clarify the alleged giveaway, warning that it could trigger an ecological disaster in the Greater Kampala area. "The country may become bloody if these allegations are true," he said. District Environment Officer Rebecca B Ssabaganzi said she learnt about the alleged allocation through social media and had no concrete information about it.
Lubigi wetland connects to rivers such as Mayanja and Katonga before flowing into Lake Victoria and plays a critical role in filtering and retaining water and controlling floods in Wakiso and neighbouring districts. Section 36 of the National Environment Act, 2019 protects wetlands, prohibits reclamation and the erection of illegal structures in them, and empowers districts to manage wetlands within their jurisdictions and demarcate their boundaries.
Statistics from Uganda's Ministry of Water and Environment show wetland coverage declined from 15.6 per cent in 1994 to 8.9 per cent in 2021, with estimates suggesting the country loses between 5,000 and 75,000 hectares of wetlands a year. Industrialisation, agriculture and urban expansion are cited as the major drivers of destruction. Since 2024, the National Environment Management Authority has been running a nationwide wetland restoration and eviction campaign, including demolitions in Lubigi that displaced hundreds of residents, some of whom are still pursuing legal redress in court.