For years now, the National Forestry Authority (NFA), a statutory body established to protect and guide on sustainable usage of our forests, has been struggling to deal with a presidential directive against eviction of encroachers on some forests under its mandate.

Mr Museveni issued the directive, under pressure of the pending 2001 elections, when encroachers on the South Busoga Central Forest Reserve demanded protection in exchange for their votes. The President issued a blanket ban on all evictions and as a result numbers of encroachers have doubled from an estimated 180, 000 to about 360, 000 in only eight years.

The NFA says out of a total 16,000 hectares of South Busoga Forest, about 14,000 are encroached leaving only 2,000 hectares as the protected area. Even this has recently been allowed to regenerate with some planting but the officials face constant threats from the encroachers.

This apparent standoff is telling in many ways; first of the disrespect of institutions and their apparent sacrifice at the altar of political expediency. The second is the political leadership's apparent aloofness to the real dangers of destroying the environment in the face of the global climatic change challenges.

A report by the National Environment Management Authority last month warned that key eco systems were faced with extinction notably the ice cap on Mount Rwenzori, River Nile and lakes Wamala and Victoria among others were under threat.

Along the highways, the attack on the environment is clear. Officials say while the highways show a semblance of thick forests the insides have already been laid bare.

Is it surprising that eastern Uganda is most hit by famine resulting from crop failure yet it also ranks as the region that has most destroyed its forests?

What we expect from the government is not pandering to short term political interests or economic gains like was the case in justifying the push to cut down a section of Mabira Central Forest Reeve for sugar planting or Butamira Forest which also went to sugarcane planting, but focused leadership that looks beyond their own time in office but the future of this country's young people.

The NFA needs to be supported to fight encroachment, increase the country's forest cover as we need for Nema and other agencies to protect wetlands and greenbelts.