Kitgum Municipal Council has earmarked more than 58 million shillings in the 2026/2027 financial year budget to support the protection and management of the Pager River buffer zone.
The allocation was announced on Friday during the presentation and approval of the municipality’s 11.8 billion shilling budget for the next financial year. Presenting the budget before the council, Secretary for Finance, Planning and Administration Patrick Paul Kidega said the funding falls under the Natural Resources, Environment, Climate Change and Land Management Programme.
According to Kidega, the funds will support the design and protection of the Pager River Government Zone as part of efforts to conserve environmentally sensitive areas within Kitgum Municipality. He said the intervention is intended to address increasing environmental degradation caused by urban expansion and human activities along the riverbanks and wetlands.
Kidega noted that the project is also expected to create eco-tourism and recreation opportunities for the municipality. “This will immediately provide for the establishment of a recreation center as a business opportunity, and in the long run, this shall enable the council to authoritatively protect the Government Zone from degeneration and improve eco-tourism in the area,” Kidega said.
Kitgum Municipal Council Speaker Regan Nokrac said the municipality has already taken steps to protect the Pager River buffer zone, including demarcating a six-kilometre stretch to prevent further encroachment and destruction of the ecosystem.
//Cue in: “The encroachers have…”
Cue out: “…secure that place.”//
In January 2025, Kitgum Municipal Council issued a one-week ultimatum to vegetable farmers operating within the Pager River buffer zone to vacate the area in line with the National Environment Act Cap 181, which prohibits farming in protected buffer zones.
Despite the directive, farmers reportedly continued cultivating crops in the area, while some motorists also continued washing motorcycles and vehicles in the river. Another warning was issued in February 2026, but authorities say illegal activities along the river continue despite the expiry of the deadline at the end of last month.
River Pager, a tributary of River Aswa, stretches between 194 and 225 kilometres, originating from Pader District before flowing through Agago and Kitgum districts. Leaders in the area say increasing human activities along the river over the past decade are contributing to pollution and the gradual degradation of the river ecosystem-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
