Tension is mounting in Katosi Town Council, Mukono District, following an intensified wetland enforcement exercise by the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) that has left more than 3,000 residents fearing eviction and loss of property.
The unrest began after NEMA officials started planting demarcation stones to mark sections of land along the shores of Lake Victoria as protected wetland areas.
The exercise has triggered resistance in Katosi Central, Kisakombe–Bunakijja, and Nakitolota–Kizaala Buganda villages, where residents insist they are legally settled on lakeshore land and not within gazetted wetlands.
Residents say the demarcation came without prior notice and accuse authorities of targeting land that has already been allocated and developed for residential housing, health facilities, places of worship, and business investments. Village leaders, led by Kizaala Buganda Village Chairperson Davis Ssegirinya, have rejected NEMA’s classification of the affected areas as wetlands.
Community members further allege that the ongoing exercise is being used as a cover for land grabbing by powerful individuals.
They claim the dispute only emerged in recent months, despite many residents having occupied and developed the land for years. The installation of demarcation markers over the past two weeks has heightened anxiety among affected households.
Speaking during a heated community meeting, residents vowed to resist any attempts to evict them, arguing that they have invested heavily in their properties and livelihoods.
They also questioned why earlier planning documents reportedly identified only one wetland area in Kisakombe, yet the latest demarcation exercise has significantly expanded the areas now being classified as protected wetlands.
Katosi Police Station Commander ASP Peter Muhire called for calm, urging residents to respect environmental regulations while authorities continue assessing the contested areas.
Local leaders, including Katosi Town Council Chairperson Mbongo Wanyama, Mukono East MP Robert Maseruka, and District Councillor Nathan Wampi, criticized the exercise, saying it lacked adequate consultation and public sensitization.
The leaders have called for an urgent technical meeting involving NEMA, local authorities, and affected residents to clarify the disputed boundaries and provide guidance on the way forward.
The standoff highlights the growing challenge of balancing environmental conservation efforts with land rights and community livelihoods in rapidly developing lakeshore areas.
By Our Reporter
16th June 2026
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