Museveni Declares 2024 as Year of Wetlands

President Yoweri Museveni has called upon all Ugandans to actively participate in safeguarding wetlands at individual levels. During the national World Wetland Day celebrations in Gulu City on February 2, 2024, Museveni emphasized that the responsibility of preserving wetlands extends from grassroots communities to the highest levels of leadership.

Commending the Ministry of Water and Environment for its efforts, Museveni delivered his message through Justine Kasule Lumumba, the general duties minister in the Office of the Prime Minister. The President highlighted the crucial role wetlands play in the ecosystem, providing water, waste management, and cultivable land. While acknowledging the need for using arable land surrounding wetlands for agriculture, Museveni expressed concern about detrimental human activities affecting wetland well-being.

Identifying harmful practices such as filling wetlands with soil, draining them, encroachment, and unregulated farming, Museveni outlined government interventions. These include initiatives like the National Resistance Movement (NRM) manifestos, Parish Development Model (PDM), National Development Plan (NDPL) III, National Environment Act 2019, and Presidential directives. Museveni urged local leaders, including councilors, to actively participate in wetland protection and declared 2024 as the “Year of Wetlands for Life.”

In a separate message, Justine Kasule Lumumba discouraged the fencing off of wetlands by individuals purchasing large land portions under the pretext of providing water for animals.

At the same event, the Ministry of Water launched the “Uganda Gazette on Wetlands,” designed to facilitate follow-up and monitoring of wetlands nationwide. The gazette, containing information on the status of Uganda’s 8,612 wetlands, serves as a public awareness tool.

Gulu City, chosen to host the event, aimed to sensitize locals about wetland conservation. Joyce Aryemo Latigo, Gulu City’s environment officer, highlighted the encroachment on the city’s two major wetlands due to population influx and demand for land. Environmental activist George Obwola Ebola saw the celebration as an opportunity to restore the natural state of wetlands.