Joseph Miti
26 August 2008
A long-standing rift between Mpigi District authorities and the National Forest Authority over the increased degradation of natural forests in the district has taken a new twist with the indefinite suspension of the latter's operations.
Officials said the suspension would only be lifted after intervention from the central government.
Mpigi District officials made the decision to suspend NFA activities at a council meeting last Friday, after several councillors accused the organisation of conniving with locals to clear the forests.
"NFA activities should be halted. NFA staff have cut down all natural forests they found in the district," Mr Haruna Mawanda (Kibibi sub-county) told the council chaired by Speaker John Mary Luwakanya.
His sentiments were echoed by Mr Geoffrey Tumwehe Kiviri (Mpenja) who told the council that half of the forest cover in Mpenja Sub-county has been degraded since 2004.
"We can't sit and look on when all forests are being depleted," Mr Kiviri said.
The development came days after the District Forest Officer, Mr Polly Birakwate and NFA officials accused each other of being responsible for the damage to the forests.
Mr Birakwate told the press last week that NFA allocated plots to farmers in all natural forests for tree planting but they (farmers) have instead cleared the forests.
He said instead of planting more trees as their permits indicates, farmers picked interests in mature trees which they are cutting for timber and firewood. He added that the most affected forests are in Muduuma and Kiringente sub-counties.
According to Mr Birakwate, the central district has 39-gazetted forests of which 33 are national forests being monitored by NFA and six local forests under district supervision.
He added that the national and local forests cover 30,000 and 323 hectares respectively.
Mr Birakwate, who could not estimate the size of the forest cover destroyed, said the rate at which the forests are being degraded is worrying.
"Natural forests in Muduuma are finished. Forests are now being replaced by eucalyptus trees and gardens," he said.
Mpigi district NFA Sector Manager Victor Ajuma however scoffed at the council's resolutions when contacted by Daily Monitor.
He said it had no powers to stop their operations. "The district cannot suspend our operations since we work under an Act of Parliament," he said.
Mr Ajuma denied any wrongdoing and instead accused the district for masterminding the mess.
NFA officials who talked to Daily Monitor last week denied the allegations, and also blamed the district for issuing timber cutting and transportation permits to residents.
NFA Public Relations Manager Moses Watasa said he was not aware of any case where people got plots and started cutting trees. He, however, admitted that some people who received plots were instead turning their areas into gardens.
"NFA only gave away areas that were greatly degraded in order to replace the damaged parts but currently all permits were recalled to review the process," Mr Watasa said.
Meanwhile, NFA Range Manager Stephen Galima said in a separate interview that the district was primarily responsible for the degradation.
He said district officials' issue permits to residents for firewood and timber.
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