More than 800 residents of Kimbungu Cell in Kiganga Parish, Nyarushanje Sub-county, Rukungiri District have expressed concern over the ongoing demarcation of land around Kimbugu Pond, which authorities have identified as a wetland area, although locals insist it is not.
Residents who own land near the pond accuse district authorities led by Bronne Kinkashemeza and outgoing Rukungiri Municipality mayor Charles Makuru of orchestrating a plan to close the pond’s outlets, causing flooding that submerged nearby land before boundary stones were planted deep into residents’ gardens.
The residents claim the stones were placed about 100 metres uphill from the pond without consultation or negotiation.
Led by Kiganga Parish councillor and NRM parish chairperson Dismas Tayebwa Bakutana, Kimbungu LC1 chairperson Silvano Rutangire and Merri Nsimire, the residents said they felt betrayed by leaders they once regarded as representatives of Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
“These leaders formed a bond to flood crops and land that families have used for over 80 years, with the goal of forcing residents out and grabbing the land for free,” the residents alleged.
The residents further accused officials of using intimidation while marking the area as a lake reserve, saying no proper consultations were conducted before the exercise.
They said the closure of the pond outlets had destroyed crops and cut off domestic water sources, leaving only stagnant floodwater behind.
Another group of residents led by 96-year-old Kiconco Kedress, alongside Denis Asiimwe, Mathias Tumukunde, Bashekura Porina and Benon Kikanu, raised similar complaints, accusing authorities of grabbing land under the guise of environmental conservation.
The residents argued that Kimbugu Pond is not a gazetted lake that would warrant intervention from the Ministry of Water and Environment.
They said many families now face uncertainty after losing land they have occupied and cultivated for decades.
The residents are now appealing to the Office of the President, elected leaders and other authorities to intervene and halt what they described as unfair actions by district officials.
During a community meeting, the residents resolved to reopen the blocked water outlets and uproot boundary stones that they say were planted without their consent.
Responding to the accusations, Kinkashemeza defended the exercise, saying the demarcation and placement of stones were directed by the Ministry of Water and Environment through the National Environment Management Authority and were not driven by personal interests.
“NEMA even allowed residents to use 70 metres of the 100-metre buffer zone as a gesture of goodwill,” Kinkashemeza said.
He also accused the residents of escalating the dispute by petitioning Parliament, saying the intervention by lawmakers prompted NEMA to formally mark the area and enforce the 100-metre buffer zone.
Meanwhile, Makuru said residents should direct their complaints to the Rukungiri District Environment Office, which conducted the demarcation exercise, instead of accusing him personally.