Tension has escalated in Katosi Town Council in Mukono District after the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) intensified a wetland enforcement exercise that has left more than 3,000 residents in three villages fearing eviction and loss of property.
The unrest followed the deployment of NEMA officials who began planting demarcation stones to mark sections of land as protected wetland areas along the shores of Lake Victoria. The exercise has triggered resistance in Katosi Central, Kisakombe–Bunakijja, and Nakitolota–Kizaala Buganda villages, where residents insist they are lawfully settled on lakeshore land and not within wetlands.
Residents argue that the demarcation has come as a surprise and accuse authorities of targeting land that has already been allocated and developed for housing, health facilities, worship centres, and business investments. Village leaders, led by Kizaala Buganda Village Chairperson Davis Ssegirinya, rejected NEMA’s classification of the area as a wetland.
“We are not in wetlands, we are on the lake shores. The laws clearly stipulate the exact meters we are supposed to leave as a buffer. We are surprised to now see them claiming we are in wetlands. We will not accept this because there are people who want to grab our land,” Ssegirinya said.
Residents further allege that the ongoing exercise is being used as a cover for land grabbing by powerful individuals, saying the dispute only emerged in recent months before markers were installed in the past two weeks. Hajji Musa Mulika, speaking during a heated community meeting, said residents would resist any attempt to take their land after making significant investments.
“We will not allow our land to be taken in this manner, especially after we have invested our money in it,” he said. Community members have called for urgent intervention from the central government to clarify wetland boundaries and provide compensation where relocation may be necessary.
They also questioned why previous planning documents reportedly identified only one wetland area in Kisakombe, yet new demarcations have expanded the affected zones. Katosi Police ASP Peter Muhire urged calm, calling on residents to respect environmental regulations while authorities continue with assessments. “The public should stay away from the lakeshores and wetlands,” Muhire said.
Local leaders, including Katosi Town Council Chairperson Mbongo Wanyama, area MP Robert Maseruka, and District Councillor Nathan Wampi, criticized the exercise, saying it lacked adequate consultation and public sensitization. They called for an urgent technical meeting to clarify boundaries and guide residents on the way forward.
The dispute highlights the ongoing tension between environmental conservation efforts and the protection of livelihoods for communities living along Uganda’s lakeshores, with calls increasing for government intervention to resolve the matter peacefully-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
