President Museveni has called for urgent environmental discipline and scientific boundary demarcation around Mt. Elgon as he resumed his campaign trail in Sebei, barely two weeks after deadly landslides devastated the region, killing dozens and displacing hundreds.
During his campaign stop in Kween District on Tuesday, local leaders presented a memo outlining unresolved boundary disputes -- particularly the long-standing conflict between the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and communities living around the Mt. Elgon National Park boundary.
The memo also highlighted the community's vulnerability to environmental hazards, especially landslides linked to deforestation and settlement on steep mountain slopes.
In his address, Museveni warned that natural resources such as mountains, forests, wetlands, and rivers act as the country's "blood supply system" and must not be tampered with.
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"These ecosystems sustain us. If you cut your skin instead of nails, you bleed," he said. "It's not what we want; it's what nature wants."
He emphasized that Uganda's temperate climate and agricultural productivity depend heavily on stable ecosystems in mountain regions.
"Without mountains like Elgon, Rwenzori, and Kigezi, Uganda would be a desert," he cautioned.
Museveni's visit came just 14 days after landslides in Bukwo, Kween, and Kapchorwa killed more than 20 people and left thousands at risk.
He acknowledged that Sebei's population has grown from about 20,000 people in 1962 to more than 500,000 today, creating immense pressure on the fragile slopes.
The memo presented to the President placed the UWA-community boundary conflict at the center of the region's environmental challenges.
In response, Museveni announced that he would dispatch a technical team to conduct scientific measurements and establish an authoritative boundary.
"The boundary must be guided by science, not opinion or prejudice," he said.
The President linked the recent landslides to human activity--particularly the clearing of forests and cultivation on slopes exceeding 30 degrees.
"Landslides happen when trees are cut. The roots anchor the soil," he explained. "On steep slopes above 30 degrees, settlement becomes dangerous."
Museveni pledged to convene a post-election conservation conference bringing together experts, local leaders, and communities to determine how best to live safely on the mountain.
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He also promised government support to resettle people living in landslide-prone areas, emphasizing that some zones were no longer safe for human habitation.
Additionally, Museveni floated the idea of developing modern, planned mountain towns--similar to those in the European Alps--to enable people to live safely while preserving the ecosystem.
