Speaker Anita Among has condemned the actions of the police during an oversight visit by Leader of the Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi to the Lubigi wetlands in Nansana, describing the incident as unfortunate and uncalled for.
The visit, which aimed to address the recent evictions by the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA), was met with tear gas and live ammunition, prompting widespread criticism.
Ssenyonyi and his team were conducting an oversight visit to listen to the concerns of locals affected by NEMA’s eviction exercise. The evictions targeted residents allegedly occupying the wetlands illegally, but Ssenyonyi said double standards were conducted, noting that several malls built in wetlands have not faced similar actions.
“It is unfortunate that we were met with tear gas, live ammunition. We hadn’t gone to fight or to tell those who were demolishing to stop; I don’t have those powers. I had gone to listen to these people,” Ssenyonyi said. He questioned the timing and selective enforcement of the evictions, emphasizing that some residents have lived in the area for over 40 years and have invested heavily in their properties. he said during plenary on Wednesday morning
Ssenyonyi further pointed out that despite the demolitions around Lubigi, certain structures, such as a police station and a fuel station, were left untouched.
“These people are concerned about the double standards. Right in the middle of that area, there is a police station, everything around it has been demolished except the police station. And so the people are saying, why? There is a fuel station as well. They settled in that area before the police station was built and so they are trying to understand, why the double standards,” he said.
Speaker Among echoed these concerns, questioning why only the locals in Lubigi were evicted while larger commercial structures in other wetlands remain intact. She criticized the government’s inconsistent enforcement of environmental laws and called for a more transparent and fair approach.
“People have constructed huge structures and the government is watching and does nothing about it, and they settle there for years. Then you wake up now, why? Help us understand, was the government sleeping on the job? Or were they waiting in the corner saying you construct, get bank loans, spend all your money then they come and demolish? Why are we operating this way?” she questioned.
The evictions in Lubigi are part of NEMA’s broader effort to preserve wetland systems, which are crucial for water catchment in Kampala and surrounding districts. NEMA has defended the evictions as legal and necessary under the NEMA Act of 2019, citing previous restoration orders issued to encroachers in 2021.
However, the manner and timing of the evictions, along with the police’s heavy-handed response to the oversight visit, have sparked significant backlash and raised questions about the government’s commitment to equitable law enforcement and human rights.
The affected families continue to seek answers and compensation, particularly those who claim they were misled into settling in the protected wetland and had paid ground rent to the Buganda Kingdom.
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