By Ezaruku Draku Franklin

The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has suspended ongoing construction works by Majestic Commodities Limited in a section of Nakivubo wetland in Bugolobi. The order to stop further development follows concerns raised by whistle blowers about the legality of the ongoing activities including backfilling of the wetland and damage to access roads occasioned by numerous trucks ferrying murram to the site mainly at night.

A statement from the environment management authority says the suspension was instituted to reduce pressure on wetlands and ecosystems.

“On Tuesday, October 11, 2022; NEMA dispatched a team of environment inspectors to the site along Mpanga Close, in Bugolobi and established that the developer intended to construct residential apartments. Documents obtained on site claimed the area was declared as a vanquished wetland, by Cabinet,” the statement from NEMA says.

The backfilling of the wetlands puts both the cabinet and NEMA on spot after it emerged that the executive had declared the wetland vanquished. The entity in 2014 made a proposal to cabinet to declare some wetlands in the country vanquished. It is not clear if the Nakivubo wetlands in Bugolobi is among those that were supposed to be declared by the cabinet.

According to NEMA, vanquished wetlands are those that have completely lost their ecological function and it would not be economically viable to reinstate them.

NEMA however says it will investigate the circumstances under which the said wetland was declared vanquished. The authority says in line with Section 129 of the National Environment Act No.5 of 2019, it has directed the developer to immediately halt all activities at the project site until further notice; and commenced investigations into the circumstances under which the wetland was declared vanquished and the applicable conditions to the vanquishing.

“Going forward, no work will be permitted at the site, until investigations are completed and an official position regarding the vanquishing of the wetland has been made and communicated in writing. We thank the public for being watchful and commend vigilant members of society who show concern about environmental breaches within communities. Together we shall halt degradation and jointly restore our environment,” the statement says.