By eastafrican gazette
The Kampala City Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, along with a group of city leaders, met with the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) Executive Director Barirega Akankwasah to address the ongoing eviction operations in wetlands around various parts of the city.
During the discussion, concerns were raised about the humanitarian crisis, illegal evictions, discriminatory practices, and the lack of a systematic approach used by the government’s environment agency during the process.
It was agreed that operations would be suspended for verification of residents eligible for compensation by the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) and Kampala Capital City Authoroty (KCCA).
Additionally, a District Environment management committee will be established by July 15th, 2024 to handle environmental issues systematically.
The also agreed that petitions from residents will be addressed before any further operations take place.
The city leadership, including Deputy Lord Mayor Doreen Nyanjura, KCCA secretary for environment, Kawempe Division Mayor Emmanuel Sserunjogi, and other local leaders, urged NEMA to identify irredeemable areas for consideration by the Cabinet Policy subcommittee on environment.
Areas like hotels and malls were highlighted as irredeemable, and specific areas like Bwaise III parish were requested to be verified before demolition.
It was emphasized that KCCA and NEMA should have collaborate and formed a committee led by the KCCA Executive Director before any eviction is done.