Several residents in Kawala Zone II, part of the Rubigi wetland, have been arrested, and others have been left homeless as the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) resumed its nationwide crackdown on wetland encroachers.
On Thursday, a joint force of Environmental Police, regular police, and the UPDF sealed off the Northern Bypass between Namungona and Kawala to back NEMA’s demolition of more than 150 houses and businesses encroaching on the Rubigi wetland, including several furniture workshops, shops, and offices slated for removal under a 2024 NEMA notice.
When a URN reporter arrived, police and army officers were arresting residents who had tried to protest the demolition. The situation turned chaotic as graders and tractors moved in and immediately began tearing down houses.
Evicted residents scrambled to salvage what they could carry, while others loaded furniture and merchandise onto boda-bodas and bicycles to save goods displayed along the Northern Bypass. Tensions ran high as Environmental Police, backed by Kawempe police and the military, reinforced their presence to contain those attempting to protest.
Several were arrested on the spot and bundled into waiting police and military patrols before being driven away. Although residents received eviction notices two years ago, many remained and took the matter to court to demand compensation.
Suleiman Ssenyonga, Chairperson of the Rubigi Carpenters in Kawala Zone II, said they were served notice in 2024 and responded by filing a case seeking compensation for their properties.
He added that a hearing was set for the 16th of next month, but NEMA proceeded with the demolition before the legal process concluded.
“The court served NEMA on the 13th, ordering them to appear and defend themselves on the 16th. But they defied the court order, took matters into their own hands, and began demolishing our properties,” Ssenyonga said before he and others were arrested by security personnel.
Ssenyonga and other residents alleged that the sudden eviction was meant to clear the Rubigi wetland for sale to an unnamed Indian investor. They claimed the investor had recently toured the site and told NEMA he would not pay until the communities occupying the disputed section were removed. Other residents said they had lived on the land for years and had nowhere to go with their families.
Some sat at a distance, watching in distress as their homes were demolished. With no alternative, they said they would wait for the enforcement team to leave, then regroup and sleep in the open while they figured out their next move.
In a statement, Naomi Karekaho, Head of Corporate Communications, said operations to restore wetland ecosystems had resumed after the grace period expired. She said the pause, introduced last year, was intended to allow people to leave the wetlands voluntarily and peacefully.
“It is a criminal offense to settle or develop any infrastructure in wetlands without a permit issued in accordance with the law. Under the National Environment Act, Cap 181, NEMA issued Environmental Restoration Orders after establishing that there was encroachment on the wetlands. We have continually reminded the affected persons to vacate through physical notices, radio, and TV, but to no avail,” Karekaho said. NEMA has carried out several large-scale demolition and eviction operations in the Lubigi wetland over the years to remove illegal structures and restore the swamp.
The most recent and highly publicized exercise took place in May and June 2024, when hundreds of structures in Nansana and Busega were razed following a presidential directive, leaving many homeless. Kampala Metropolitan Police had not clarified how many suspects arrested during the wetland evictions were being held at Kawempe and Old Kampala Police Divisions by the time of filing this report-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
