Masindi District has lost approximately 30 per cent of its wetland cover due to degradation, with only 70 per cent remaining, a district official has revealed.
Simon Akweteireho, the Wetland Management and Conservation Specialist at Masindi District Local Government, said wetlands in the district were increasingly under pressure from rapid urbanisation, population growth and the expansion of economic activities, including sugarcane growing.
Akweteireho made the remarks on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, at Kinyara Sugar Works premises during a wetland conservation sensitisation meeting organised by the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) in collaboration with Masindi District Local Government, Kinyara Sugar Limited and other private-sector partners.
The meeting targeted Kinyara sugarcane outgrowers, focusing on sustainable sugarcane production and the protection of wetlands.
Akweteireho said the growing demand for land for settlement, agriculture and socioeconomic development had accelerated pressure on the district’s natural resources.
He explained that Masindi previously had extensive natural forest cover and abundant wetland resources, but the situation had continued to deteriorate as human activities expanded.
According to Akweteireho, Bwijanga, Budongo and Pakanyi are among the subcounties most affected by wetland degradation.
He also identified Kimengo and Kijunjubwa as areas experiencing increasing pressure on wetlands, particularly around the River Kafu catchment.
Akweteireho said the district had undertaken several initiatives to address the problem, including developing catchment management plans for the River Kafu and other water resource systems with support from the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
He added that the district was working with development partners and private-sector organisations, including Kinyara Sugar Limited, the Environment Conservation Trust of Uganda and the Jane Goodall Institute, to promote sustainable wetland management.
He said the interventions were intended to protect wetlands for the benefit of present and future generations.
Meanwhile, Christine Ainabwinona, the Assistant Commissioner for NEMA in the Albertine Graben region, based in Hoima City, said the authority was working with district officials and other stakeholders to address wetland degradation in Masindi.
Ainabwinona said NEMA had documented cases of wetland degradation in Bwijanga Subcounty involving individual sugarcane outgrowers.
She explained that the authority had previously inspected degraded wetlands in the area and issued environmental restoration orders to farmers found cultivating in protected areas.
Ainabwinona said NEMA would return to the affected sites to establish whether the farmers had complied with the orders.
She warned that those who failed to comply could face enforcement action, including the removal of illegal developments or activities at their own expense, in accordance with the law.
She also identified limited public awareness of wetland regulations and inadequate enforcement capacity and transport among local government partners as some of the challenges affecting conservation efforts.
Robert Atugonza, the chairman of Masindi Sugarcane Growers Limited (MASGAL), acknowledged that some sugarcane farmers were cultivating in wetlands, describing the sensitisation meeting as an important step towards improving conservation.
Atugonza, however, called on the government to extend its conservation efforts beyond organised sugarcane growers, arguing that other agricultural activities also contribute to wetland degradation.
He said farmers and communities living near wetlands should be actively involved in conservation initiatives through sensitisation and community engagement.
Atugonza argued that communities that understand the value of wetlands would be better placed to protect them, reducing the need for enforcement interventions.
He added that sugarcane farmers supplying Kinyara were subject to contractual regulations that prohibit sugarcane cultivation in wetlands and require farmers to retain some land for food production.
Kinyara Sugar Limited Chief Executive Officer Mr Ramalingam Ravi welcomed the engagement, saying environmental protection was important to the company’s agricultural operations.
He said the company recognised the need to protect ecosystems, support surrounding communities and promote sustainability throughout its sugarcane value chain.
Ravi pledged the company’s continued support and cooperation with NEMA and other stakeholders in future environmental conservation initiatives.
PHOTOS ATTACHED .
COMPILLED BY GEORGE NIYONZIMA.