BUSABALA, Wakiso District
National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), has dismissed claims by residents of Buggu village in Busabala that authorities had given them until June 19 before beginning demolition of structures in the wetland.
According to Mr. William Lubuulwa, the Public Relations Officer at the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), residents occupying the wetland had already received multiple notices directing them to voluntarily vacate the area long before the latest enforcement exercise began.
He rejected assertions that the authority had recently shifted the deadline or issued fresh timelines.
Lubuulwa said many occupants failed to comply with earlier directives, prompting authorities to proceed with restoration activities in the affected sections of the wetland.
NEMA maintains that the exercise forms part of broader efforts to recover degraded ecosystems within the greater Kampala metropolitan area.
The latest operation in Busabala is part of a wider wetland restoration campaign that has expanded beyond previous enforcement zones such as Lubigi and surrounding wetlands, where authorities have carried out demolitions, evictions, and restoration activities in recent years.
NEMA earlier indicated that restoration efforts would gradually extend across wetland systems in and around Kampala due to increasing encroachment pressures.
Residents in Buggu have accused authorities of acting before what they believed was an agreed deadline, with some claiming they expected more time to relocate. However, NEMA insists restoration orders and warning notices had already been issued and that affected communities were sufficiently informed. Similar disputes over notification periods have emerged in earlier wetland evictions elsewhere in the Kampala metropolitan region.
Environmental authorities argue that wetland restoration has become increasingly urgent due to rapid degradation caused by settlement expansion, backfilling, agriculture, and unregulated construction.
Wetlands serve critical ecological functions including flood control, water filtration, biodiversity protection, and climate regulation. Uganda’s regulators say continued encroachment threatens these systems and increases the risk of environmental disasters.
The Busabala wetland system, particularly sections stretching through Buggu and neighboring communities, has faced growing pressure from settlement expansion in recent years.
Authorities previously identified parts of the wider Munyonyo–Busabala wetland corridor among areas experiencing significant degradation due to human activity.
While the enforcement exercise continues, the dispute has once again exposed the difficult balance between environmental protection and the livelihoods of residents living in or near protected ecosystems.
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