The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has banned farming on the slopes of Mount Elgon.
NEMA's Environment Information Systems Specialist, Goretti Kitutu, says the ban comes into effect on September 28th. She says it is intended to reduce the degradation of the mountain and to reduce devastation from landslides.
Last week three people were killed by landslides in Bumbo sub-county in Manafwa district.
Kitutu says the implementation of the ban follows a study of the degradation of the Elgon Mountain slopes by a team of soil experts from Kawanda Agricultural Research Institute. She says it was discovered that poor farming practices and exhaustion of the soil was the main cause of the land slides. The team of experts recommended an immediate end to farming on the mountain.
Kitutu says Government has tasked NEMA with ensuring that residents of the affected areas harvest their crops over the next month to guarantee that they have a good food stock for the next season.
The Manafwa LC5 Chairperson, Charles Walimbwa, asks Government to find alternative land to resettle those affected by the ban.
