Bunyoro leaders demand for tougher action against people destroying nature

Bunyoro leaders led by the kingdom's Prime Minister Andrew Byakutaaga are asking top leaders in Government to be intentional in the fight against people who destroy nature including government officials as the only way to bring sanity to the country.

With Uganda experiencing heat due to environmental degradation, these are also proposing laws for people never to cut fruit trees and all families should have them fail leading to arrest.

According to available data from the National Forest Authority, a total of one hundred thousand hectares are destroyed every year, seven thousand per month, while the rate at which wetlands and swamps are being degraded is equally worrying.

Now as a result of natural destruction, the country is experiencing heat and it's on this background that leaders in Bunyoro led by the kingdom's prime minister Andrew Byakutaaga want the Government to be tough on encroachers including the big wigs in Government as the only way to bring sanity in the Country.

"We have long been telling people including those in government to spare nature, but with impunity, the destruction continues and look here we are most of the places across the country are hot, and experts say it's due to nature destruction, so we appeal to the agencies mandated to protect the environment to be intentional in implementing the bigwigs of the law in government should not be spared either," Byakutaaga said.

The Bunyoro Kitara diocese retired bishop, who is also a climate change icon with the interreligious council of Uganda Nathan Kyamanywa wonders how the Country got here, to him in the bible nature was created first before human beings then people ought to respect nature.

"We can't live without nature, actually we need nature more than it does, if this mess is not corrected continue to watch on as trees, swamps, and wetlands are being destroyed we are headed for the worst" Kyamanywa noted

As most forests including reserves are endangered, Bunyoro Kitara diocese bishop Emeritus wants the government to consider passing laws restricting people from cutting down fruit trees for both fruits and conservation at least.

"I get shocked that these fruit trees have existed for a long and today people are cutting them for charcoal this is very bad, if those that cut would plant and care for them that would be excusable, now government need to map out these fruit trees in homes and whoever wants to cut has to get permission depending on the number of trees available at home and explains why they want to cut them" bishop Kyamanywa added,

While marking Earth Hour Day in Muhorro Kagadi district, the deputy resident district commissioner for Kagadi Benjamin Tumusiime said the environmental destroyers no longer have space in Kagadi, however, showed concern that local people despite several messages about why they need to protect nature, they have not heeded to that.

"Currently our country is experiencing heat, our neighbours in Sudan have closed schools due to much heat, we can't wait to get there, there is a directive by the president to ensure the protection of nature, so it still stands and I don't care what people call me, or those I hurt but I'm ensuring that our future is bright" Tumusiime warned

The district vice chairman Semuga Vincent noted that the only way to go is for more sensitization to the communities to plant more trees rather than enforcement.

"Force may not work now, I think for starters let's let the public know why it is important to plant trees and protect nature now that most people have witnessed the dangers because everywhere you move you people complain about the heat," Semuga said

Every year a school is opened, and these schools cook either porridge or food for the students and pupils, and most if not all of them use firewood from the forests. Data from NFA shows that a school uses three trucks of firewood a week, now activists and the Bunyoro kingdom are advocating that the government also embrace the idea of forcing all schools to have their woodlots.

"Three trucks a week in just one school is big, that's why we see many forests getting down, the government need to join the campaign to force schools to have their woodlots at least an acre of trees planted, this will reduce pressure," Bunyoro prime minister Byakutaaga said