FOREST MANAGERS UNDER FIRE
Hapless comes to mind when thinking of the National Forest Authoritys management, which has come under renewed scrutiny and is facing yet more allegations, this time from the conservation fraternity in Entebbe. NFA has been in disarray in recent years following suspensions, arrests and a wide range of allegations over the conduct of the board and senior management and is alongside the Uganda Wildlife Authority a negative example of how erstwhile important and functioning public bodies have been disemboweled and dismembered to serve the ends of misguided political masters.
Members of the Entebbe District Wildlife Association and of the Uganda Wildlife Clubs have now given NFA an ultimatum to fully explain their bending over and giving away sections of the Kitubulu Forest Reserve, which the activists say the NFA had no business of giving away as it belonged to the people of Uganda and not the beneficiary individuals now celebrating the way NFA caved in. How can the Acting ED give away this forest? Let him not claim it is plots outside because these are part of the forest. Remember, when the Norwegian was in charge he threw the book at those constructing houses in the forest and he was right. How can the position back then no longer be right today? What has happened behind the scenes? When such things happen in Uganda we suspect something helped the decision along? We need an explanation and we ask parliament to investigate this, the Inspector General of Government to look into this so that a big loss for the public can be avoided. Every day we hear a wetland has been occupied, drained, protected areas like forests are encroached or will be given away for free, what is happening with conservation in Uganda? We planted a lot of trees there with approval from NFA and now they are suddenly changing tunes a regular conservation source from Kampala communicated to this correspondent when it became known that anger was building and protests could be launched against NFA. Conservation sacrificed on the altar of development it seems once again Quo Vadis Uganda?
