Authorities in Hoima want government to disband the National Forestry Authority because its failure to effectively manage national forests. They blame the destruction of forests in Bunyoro region to the failure by NFA in its work. During a meeting of environmental stakeholders organized by the Midwestern Anti-Corruption Coalition-MIRAC on Wednesday, the officials vowed to petition government to disband the authority.
James Mugenyi Mulindambura, the chairperson Hoima district production committee says NFA officials have been implicated on various occasion for their involvement in illegal lumbering and charcoal burning in central forestry reserves. He says that some of the officials have even grabbed the forest reserve land claiming it is public land, which has set a precedent for encroachment.
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Hoima Deputy RDC, Abdul Swammad Wantimba accuses the forestry authority of unnecessary bureaucracies which he says delays their actions in supervising forests to free them of encroachers. Wantimba says despite the fact that a report was made to NFA on the recent on Bugoma central forestry reserve no action was taken until over 5,000 hectares of the reserve were cleared. The Deputy RDC asks government to disband the authority mandate district forestry department to manage the forests.
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Last month a report by the National Forestry Authority Kisindi sector manager Robert Owinyi implicated some forestry staff of receiving bribes to parcel out huge chunks of land in Bugoma central forestry reserve. Although none of the culprits was mentioned in the report, investigations into the allegations are under way.
But Gad Guma, a forest supervisor blames the problem on political interference which affects their operations.
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Encroachers in Hoima have destroyed central forest reserves of Wambabya, Bujaawe and part of Bugoma central forest reserve in Nyairongo Kabwoya Sub County.
