Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja has directed the transfer of Bugoma Central Forest to the Ministry of Tourism to curb rampant degradation, following a direct order from President Museveni.
Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja has officially directed the Ministry of Water and Environment to facilitate the immediate handover of Bugoma Central Forest to the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities.. This move is a strategic attempt to halt the rapid encroachment and environmental degradation currently threatening the Kikuube district reserve.
This decision, finalized during an April 2026 meeting in Kampala, serves as a direct response to a February directive from President Yoweri Museveni.. The President emphasized that the forest’s status as a vital water catchment area and carbon sink makes its current state of destruction untenable.. Minister of State for Tourism Martin Mugarra and leadership from the National Forestry Authority were present to receive the instructions, which include coordinating with the Attorney General to finalize the legal transfer of the property.
A Strategy for Preservation
The handover aims to shift the oversight of the forest from a body constrained by administrative and resource limitations to one better equipped for active protection.. Prime Minister Nabbanja acknowledged that the Ministry of Water and Environment has struggled to maintain the integrity of the reserve, necessitating this institutional pivot.. By placing Bugoma under the jurisdiction of the tourism ministry, the government hopes to leverage the conservation frameworks used by the Uganda Wildlife Authority to secure the land against illegal settlement and logging.
This administrative shift is not merely a bureaucratic reshuffling but a recognition that existing protection mechanisms have failed.. For years, the forest has been at the center of heated debates regarding industrial interests, community rights, and conservation.. The move suggests a government realization that if Bugoma is to survive as an ecosystem, it requires the more rigorous, militarized, or specialized enforcement typically associated with national park status rather than traditional reserve management.
Confronting the Encroachment Crisis
President Museveni’s recent correspondence highlighted a disturbing element of the crisis: reports of security personnel involvement in charcoal burning within the forest.. By ordering the Chief of Defence Forces to investigate these claims and insisting on the eviction of all encroachers without compensation, the President has signaled a zero-tolerance policy.. The goal is to set a precedent that deliberate environmental destruction will no longer be met with financial settlements, which only serve to encourage further illegal activity.
Upgrading the site to a national park could permanently alter the economic landscape of the Bunyoro sub-region.. While it may restrict local access, it offers a pathway to sustainable growth through tourism revenue, which arguably outweighs the short-term gains of illegal charcoal production.. The success of this transition now rests on the Attorney General’s ability to expedite the legal transfer and the government’s willingness to enforce evictions in a region where land disputes are often politically and socially volatile.. The future of Bugoma now rests on whether these new administrative boundaries can translate into actual protection on the ground.