Police used teargas to block Leader of the Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi from touring the Lubigi wetland site, where the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) recently evicted residents for illegally occupying the area.
Following his address to residents, Ssenyonyi attempted to tour the wreckage. However, police swiftly intervened, leading to a tense exchange that lasted five minutes before teargas canisters were deployed to disperse residents protesting the police’s actions.
In the chaos, Parliament security whisked Ssenyonyi to safety, while other residents fled the scene.
Ssenyonyi had earlier criticized NEMA’s eviction process, calling it discriminatory. He questioned why factories are allowed to operate in wetlands while residents are evicted without notice or discussion.
“I have passed by the same place and there is still a police station and fuel stations. So if the evictions are going on, why should they discriminate? There are known wetlands in Uganda that are full of factories; these ones aren’t being bothered. Perhaps it is because the owners of these businesses have connections to the government or are employed in the government. That is why we are asking ourselves, why discriminate among citizens in Uganda?” Ssenyonyi stated.
He urged residents to fight all forms of human rights violations, noting that such evictions do not consider political affiliations. He cited the recent kidnapping of lawmaker Paul Akamba (Busiki County) after being granted bail, highlighting how similar concerns raised by the National Unity Platform (NUP) have often been dismissed as political posturing.
“These issues of evictions don’t discriminate against political affiliations. These issues of violating the rights of Ugandans don’t bother about your political parties because when such a day comes, you all face the wrath. We have been raising concerns about human rights violations and for long, our concerns have been ignored because they are raised by members of the NUP. Recently, you saw one MP, Paul Akamba, was given bail but later kidnapped. This is the same issue we raised with Muhammad Ssegirinya (Kawempe North) and the NRM MPs didn’t seem concerned. But now, the same issue came right to their doorsteps,” Ssenyonyi remarked.
He questioned the logic behind the prolonged occupancy and development in the wetland area if the residents’ presence was illegal. “When you compare what happened at the Anti-Corruption Court and what happened here, we are all concerned. I have been told some of you have been here for five years, some ten years, yet there is a gentleman who said he has lived here for 26 years. You spent all this time constructing while the government was watching. And some of you established businesses and have been paying taxes. So if the government says these people have occupied these premises illegally, why leave them build and stay for this long and collect taxes from businesses established on illegal premises?” he asked.
Ssenyonyi revealed that he had discussed the issue with Barirega Akankwasah, Executive Director of NEMA, urging him to engage in dialogue with the residents before carrying out evictions. He emphasized the importance of assessing the situation on the ground rather than making decisions remotely.
“I even asked him if they had held discussions with you people and I cautioned him that as NEMA, it isn’t good for the officials to sit in their offices and work on remote control. These are Ugandans and you have been collecting taxes from them. Why not go on the ground and hold talks with them? You listen to them and they also listen to you so that you have a point of convergence instead of unleashing police on the locals who end up destroying people’s property,” Ssenyonyi said.
He further proposed a meeting involving local leaders and representatives of the evicted residents to find a common ground. “I told the NEMA Executive Director that there is a lot of destruction that has taken place and there are more places that have been marked for eviction. I asked him to allow us to hold a meeting with the local leaders around Lubigi and representatives from the people who have been evicted so that they can listen to you. And I assured him that these people are Ugandans, that is why they aren’t in the bush hiding. So before anything else happens, let this meeting be held. Have they ever held meetings with you? That is what I am against. I don’t want these people to operate on remote control,” Ssenyonyi concluded.
