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The findings expose that enforcement officers are accepting bribes in the form of money, foodstuffs, and even sexual favors to permit illegal activities in protected areas, including wetlands, forests, and water bodies.
A new report by Transparency International Uganda has revealed corruption as a major factor behind environmental degradation and the encroachment on natural resources across the country.
The findings expose that enforcement officers are accepting bribes in the form of money, foodstuffs, and even sexual favors to permit illegal activities in protected areas, including wetlands, forests, and water bodies.
Peter Wandera, executive director of Transparency International Uganda, highlighted that these bribes have facilitated unlawful practices like sand mining, brick-making, rice cultivation, and cattle grazing.
These activities, carried out by both local communities and investors, are rapidly destroying Uganda’s fragile ecosystems.
“Corruption is not only harming our environment but is also enabling encroachers to escape accountability,” Wandera stated during the report’s launch. He added that some bribes are even paid through mobile money, making them harder to trace.
Wandera urged for stricter environmental impact assessments to discourage people from exploiting restricted areas for economic gain.
The report emphasizes the urgency of tackling environmental corruption, warning that failure to act could push Uganda towards a similar fate as Western countries where the effects of climate change have already devastated communities.
Stephen Okiror, an official from the Inspectorate of Government’s Ombudsman Affairs, echoed these concerns and called on Ugandans to recognize the seriousness of environmental degradation.
Eroku Stanley, spokesperson for the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, also contributed, urging the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) to intensify inspections of restricted areas and take swift action to prevent encroachment.
He criticized the practice of evicting people long after they have illegally settled, advocating for earlier interventions to protect the environment and avoid future conflicts.
Uganda is currently losing an estimated Shs2.23 trillion annually due to environmental corruption, while pollution and degradation cost the country Shs536.8 billion each year.
Robert Turyakira, deputy executive director of Environmental Shield, stressed that these alarming figures should serve as a wake-up call for both authorities and citizens to combat the misuse of natural resources.
