New Vision (Kampala)
April 29, 2007
THE Minister of Lands, Daniel Omara Atubo, has said President Yoweri Museveni does not have the powers to give away any part of Mabira Forest Reserve.
Atubo revealed this on Friday at the Third Global Assembly of the International Land Coalition at the Imperial Botanical Beach Hotel in Entebbe. The function was attended by delegates from over 30 countries.
"When the law was made, it ensured that whoever wanted to degazette a forest has to go through a laborious process, which includes cabinet and Parliament approval, and identification of an equivalent piece of land elsewhere for tree planting," Atubo said.
"When the law was made, it ensured that whoever wanted to degazette a forest has to go through a laborious process, which includes cabinet and Parliament approval, and identification of an equivalent piece of land elsewhere for tree planting," Atubo said.
"Even if the president just wanted only one acre of that forest land for himself, he could not do it because he does not have the powers."
The four-day assembly discussed ways of allowing poor people to have access to land without hampering economic development.
According to Atubo, one of Uganda's problems is the absence of a consolidated land policy.
He said land issues were found in the agricultural policy, natural resources laws, environmental regulations and the Land Act.
The minister added that some of those provisions conflict and there is therefore a need to harmonise them.
The conference had shown that land problems were not a monopoly of Uganda but were worldwide and Atubo noted that they needed global co-operation.
The Uganda Land Alliance chairman, Warren nyamugasira, on behalf of the local and international NGOs, petitioned the Government to abandon the Mabira give-away plan.
"Earlier precedents of similar excision of forests have not yielded the expected results in terms of creation of employment, improvement of lives and general wellbeing. We are consequently advising the government to reconsider the proposed excision of Mabira," he said.
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