Authorities in southwestern Uganda have destroyed a banana plantation belonging to a Catholic church after determining it had been established inside a protected wetland, as officials intensify efforts to restore degraded ecosystems and combat the effects of climate change.
The operation, carried out on Friday in Kagarama Parish, Buhara Sub-county, targeted a plantation owned by St. Peter Kabasigaba Catholic Church within the Kabanyonyi-Kyanamira wetland.
District Natural Resources Officer Henry Tumwesigye Kamutoro said the exercise was conducted jointly with police as part of a broader campaign to restore wetlands that have been degraded through human activity.
‘The Kabanyonyi-Kyanamira wetland covers about 24 hectares and is the largest wetland restoration project currently being undertaken in the district. Any activities that compromise its ecological functions cannot be allowed to continue,’ Tumwesigye said.
He said Kabale District is restoring 19 degraded wetlands with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), aimed at mitigating the impacts of climate change, including flooding, soil erosion and environmental degradation.
Officials said investigations had uncovered additional encroachment within the wetland, including residential houses and perimeter fences erected along River Kirururuma, which passes through the protected ecosystem.
According to Tumwesigye, affected residents have been given 21 days to voluntarily remove the structures or face enforcement action.
‘We have given all encroachers 21 days to remove their houses and fences. Failure to comply will leave the district with no option but to enforce the law. Wetlands are critical ecosystems that must be protected for the benefit of current and future generations,’ he said.
He stressed that authorities were not completely barring communities from using wetlands but said any proposed activities must first be assessed and approved by relevant agencies.
‘We are not closing wetlands to communities. Activities such as beekeeping, fish farming, and bamboo planting may be permitted after assessment and approval to ensure they do not interfere with the ecological integrity of the wetland,’ he added.
Contacted for comment, the parish priest of Maziba Catholic Parish, Rev. Fr. Ignatius Leoson Mbabazi, said he had not yet received a detailed report about the destruction of the plantation.
‘I am still waiting for a formal report from the catechist at St. Peter Kabasigaba Catholic Church. Once I receive all the details concerning the incident, I will be in a position to comment comprehensively on the matter,’ Fr. Mbabazi said.
The action underscores growing efforts by local authorities to enforce environmental protection laws as Uganda seeks to restore wetlands that play a critical role in water conservation, biodiversity protection and climate resilience.