The Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Judith Nabakooba, has launched the installation of boundary pillars to officially demarcate Bugoma Forest, which spans approximately 158.8 square miles (41,142 hectares), in a renewed effort to evict encroachers.
The exercise was launched in Nsozi Village, Kyangwali Sub-county, Kikuube District, amid growing concern over widespread deforestation.
Large sections of the forest have reportedly been cleared for maize and sugarcane farming, timber harvesting, and charcoal burning.
Nabakooba expressed shock at the extent of destruction, noting that while the forest appears dense along the roadside, much of the interior has been heavily degraded.
“When you are by the roadside, you think it’s a thick forest, but the forest has been cut. People are burning charcoal, cutting timber, and turning it into maize and sugarcane gardens. This is very bad and we can’t allow it. Let’s demarcate the forest so that we know who has encroached and have them out,” she said.
The minister directed security agencies and the National Forestry Authority (NFA) to ensure the entire forest is demarcated and all encroachers evicted.
She said that while her ministry is responsible for mapping and boundary demarcation, the primary responsibility for protecting the forest lies with the Ministry of Water and Environment.
“There is fear that people may uproot the pillars, so we need security, NFA, and the Ministry of Water and Environment to ensure that the pillars are planted and maintained,” Nabakooba added.
The Prime Minister of Bunyoro Kingdom, Andrew Byakutaga, welcomed the initiative, dismissing claims by some encroachers that they had been allocated land by the kingdom.
“We had reports of people cutting the forest claiming they were sent by the kingdom. That is not true. As a kingdom, we want the forest restored because of its importance,” he said, urging subjects of the Omukama to support the exercise.
The Director of Forestry at the Ministry of Water and Environment, Tom Rukundo, said authorities are committed to ensuring full protection of the forest once demarcation is complete.
“Once the demarcation is done, we shall ensure people are out. Whoever is in the forest ought to start packing and leaving. No one will be spared,” he warned.
Kikuube Resident District Commissioner Godwin Angalia said security agencies are prepared to enforce the exercise and evict illegal occupants.
“Our work was previously challenged because we did not know the exact boundaries. Once demarcation is complete, we shall act decisively, irrespective of who is involved,” he said.
Encroachment on Bugoma Forest intensified following a 2019 Cabinet directive to the Ministry of Water and Environment amid a controversial land dispute.
Although the forest was gazetted as a Central Forest Reserve in 1932 and remained largely intact for decades, recent years have seen significant land grabbing and degradation.
