JINJA.The national environment watchdog ,NEMA are holding a private investor in Jinja City Magan M. Patel over alleged illegal encroachment on a protected wetland along the Jinja–Iganga Highway.
Patel, a well-known businessman with interests that include Nile Agro Factory, GM Sugar in Njeru Municipality and the MMP Industrial Park, was arrested over the weekend after NEMA enforcement officers reportedly found active construction activities in a wetland area adjacent to the UPDF Cemetery.
According to NEMA, Patel and his agents were found filling the wetland with soil, an act that contravenes Uganda’s environmental protection laws.
The authority says the construction, which allegedly began about two weeks ago, had significantly encroached on the buffer zone of the Bugembe wetland.
NEMA Senior Communications Officer Jeffrey Opiyo confirmed Patel’s arrest, saying the businessman will be arraigned in court later this week.
“It is true that over the weekend we arrested Mr Patel. We also impounded a Sino truck that was found at the site during the illegal activity. He will be taken to court this week to answer charges related to wetland encroachment,” Opiyo said.
This is not the first time Patel has been accused of encroaching on the Bugembe wetland. In previous years, he reportedly constructed a factory in the same area.
Attempts by the then Jinja District Resident District Commissioner, Eric Sakwa, to halt the works were unsuccessful, with construction allegedly continuing despite directives to stop.
Local residents say the latest encroachment has already caused environmental and economic damage .
Julius Kayiira Nabbambula, who lives near the wetland, said the filling of the area has interfered with natural water flow, affecting his fish ponds.
“The soil being dumped in the wetland has disrupted the water system and affected my fish ponds. I need compensation from the businessman for the losses I have suffered,” Nabbambula said.
The Jinja-Iganga Highway at Wanyama just before Bugembe town from Jinja side is choking under wetland degradation after fuel stations were built in the wetlands.
The backfilling has resulted in constant flooding of the highway whenever it rains and as the water from Mafubira side overwhelms the wetland before they find their way into Lake Victoria.
Environmentalists and community members say the Bugembe wetland plays a critical role as a buffer zone for storm water from surrounding areas, including Mailombiri, Igenge and Wanyange hills, as well as large parts of Bugembe Township.
They warn that continued degradation of the wetland threatens the wider ecosystem and has already contributed to frequent flooding in nearby neighbourhoods, particularly along Wanyama Road, where residents now experience waterlogging during heavy rains.