Mpala residents dismayed by NEMA impromptu eviction notices

Residents of Mpala in Katabi Town Council neighboring Nambigirwa Swamp are dismayed by an attempt by National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) to evict them from their homes before making an assessment of those who encroached on the swamp nor serving them with warnings prior to the eviction.

“Leaving people homeless is very bad, you find some people sleeping on the streets of Kampala at night after they have been evicted without warning, a person who settled here might not have been aware that it’s a wetland but they came and developed this area, give them time” Mr Sekyanzi the area chairman noted.

Mubiru Sam noted, “When UNRA was compensating people during the construction of the Expressway, they marked boundaries and even put in place signposts, painted them white that even if somebody was constructing, they couldn’t encroach on it but you as NEMA have failed to carry out such demarcations, you should demarcate the land because some of the land is titled since the 1960’s, its wrong”.

The residents expressed their dismay on Wednesday when they were informed that they were to be served eviction notices immediately in what was supposed to be a sensitization meeting with officials from NEMA and Ministry of water and environment near the Mpala road toll plaza.

“We are pro government and we agree with all the efforts your carrying out, everybody loves to live in a friendly environment but all these blunders were made in a functional system for years under the watchful eye of local leaders and even NEMA for years without any interruptions, so you should be considerate” another resident mentioned.

However after seeing the reaction of the residents, the Ministry of water and environment senior water officer Mr Wilberforce Wanyama said NEMA is to continue sensitizing the residents and measure the boundaries of the wetland after which those who will be found to have encroached on it will be ordered to leave the area.

“We had come to tell them to leave the area within 21 days but we have agreed that after today’s meeting, all people who encroached on Nambigirwa swamp will first be sensitized, then take measurements to determine those that encroached on Nambigirwa we will serve them with eviction notices to leave the wetland within 21 days” he said.

The assistant RDC Entebbe sub district Nanyanzi Saida thanked the NEMA and Ministry of water officials for first sensitizing the residents who encroached on the wetland before issuance of the eviction notices before they evict those who will be found to have encroached on the wetland at a later date.