Hundreds of people descended on Lubigi wetland and completely obliterated it in three days to establish a market. It was until security personnel moved in to disperse the group that the construction work stopped.
Lubigi wetland is a papyrus dominated swamp that stretches from Bwaise Valley through to Mityana Road that eventually drains into Lake Kyoga. The invasion of the wetland started from Bwaise in 1970s and since then it has been a race between government institutions and people. Both groups are looking for cheap and free land for either government projects or accommodation for landless city dwellers. 
Before we apportion blame here, there have been three major events recently that were unfortunate for Lubigi wetland in particular but for all wetlands in the whole country.
First, the Electricity Transmission Company decided that the pylons for the new electricity power line from the new Bujagali Dam to the substation will be constructed along the swamp for avoidance of compensation if the line went through the dry land. The construction of this power line requires destruction of the wetland along its path to allow heavy equipment, wires and construction materials. Note that this path will be maintained along the line and therefore the wetland is permanently destroyed.

The second event was the Northern Bypass where the government decided the highway would be constructed along the wetland valley despite the original and earlier studies describing a different route on the main land. This was again for avoidance of compensation costs if the road passed on the dry land. A wire mesh was laid over papyrus and soil filled and the road virtually sits on top of papyrus. If the papyrus underneath rots, the soil will serge and that will be the end of the road and the Shs 120 billion.

The third event was the decision by the government to allocate the middle of Lubigi wetland to National Water and Sewage Corporation to construct a sewage treatment plant. Tens of thousands of tones of soil have been dumped into the wetland virtually sealing of the drainage of the city and creating a reservoir of water in Bwaise. How NWSC, assisted by NEMA, could fail to understand a simple fact of drainage is shocking! How donors could provide funding for such a project is baffling! How everyone looked on as government condemned its own people to live under water like fish is a shame!

The Environment Act 1995 Section 37 states that it is illegal to reclaim or drain any wetland. The NWSC proposed treatment plant is an ecological disaster, an engineering blunder and human rights violation for people in Bwaise who live under contaminated water. Today, every time there is a drizzle in Kampala, Bwaise floods, and there have been several incidences where people have drowned. This has prompted Bwaise residents to revisit the old saying that ‘water is life’ to “water is life if you do not stay in Bwaise” . The Luganda version is even more emphatic: Amazi bwebulamu nga tosula e Bawise.

The three events described above were the most illogical environmental decisions that spelled disaster to wetland conservation in the city and Uganda as a whole. 
Well, at this point, government had outsmarted the people in the race for wetlands in the city, particularly Lubigi wetland. On May 12, the people descended on the remaining section of the wetland and parcelled it out into over 10,000 plots. By May 15, hundreds of acres had been divided, cleared and construction work started. Had the authorities been serious about wetland conservation, this would not have happened in the first place!

Lubigi is a very important and sensitive wetland. In fact, there are only two wetland valleys that drain the whole of Kampala City. Lubigi and associated wetlands that drain into Lake Kyoga and Nakivubo that drains into Lake Victoria. Over 70 per cent of the water from the city catchment is drained through Lubigi and associated valleys and the rest drain through Nakivubo wetland. Lubigi wetland in particular is a slow flowing wetland and that is why it is prone to flooding.

It is critical as a flood control valley and pollution control wetland for the water that flows through it. It is also a rich biodiversity wetland with over 200 different species of birds including globally threatened species such as the breeding Grey-crowned cranes (national symbol), Papyrus Gonolek , the Sitatunga (enjobe) and many other species of plants and animals. It is an easy to reach wetland for many visitors of Kampala for a morning nature walk. Therefore, it is not only important for flood control, pollution control, biodiversity conservation, water source for neighbouring communities, marginal vegetable growing but for tourism as well.

The unfolding events at Lubigi follow similar trends of institutional breakdown in the country where impunity is the rule not the exception. Impunity was borne, allowed to grow and establish and now it has matured and the spiral of this wave of lawlessness must be stopped sooner rather than later before it becomes a cancer.

Howeverm, the invasion of Bwaise need to be put into perspective. People are defiant after seeing the government institutions that are supposed to provide guidance on use of wetlands to be the very groups that are violating the law unabated i.e. do as I say not as I do! Inadvertently, the people joined the frenzy of land/ wetland grabbing.

The consequences are dire for the country because this impunity will (or has it?) spread over the whole country. It must not be left to stand; this action will manifest in many other areas in the country affecting all protected natural resources. It is a few months ago when Nema, assisted by security forces, evicted Bemba Musota from the same section of the wetland. Where is Nema and the National Wetlands Department?
Mr Byaruhanga, Executive Director, NatureUganda
achilles.byaruhanga@natureuganda.org