environment 7 June 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Busabala Evictions Highlight Flawed Environmental Conservation Approach
The brutal evictions in Busabala's Kaliddubi Wetland have exposed a systemic failure to prevent illegal construction, leading to immense suffering for residents and raising questions about accountability. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/magazines/life/busabala-evictions-there-s-got-to-be-a-better-way-to-do-it-5486588
Recent evictions in the Kaliddubi Wetland, Busabala Parish, Wakiso District, have laid bare a deeply troubling aspect of environmental conservation in Uganda. Residents, many of whom toiled for years, sacrificing meals and sleep to build modest homes, found their dreams reduced to rubble. One heartbreaking account told of a boda boda rider who saved Shs23 million, enduring countless hardships, to provide a structure for his six children, only to see it demolished.
Similar stories emerged from mothers who had also worked tirelessly to secure shelter for their families. The emotional toll of these demolitions was starkly illustrated by a woman who nearly threw herself in front of oncoming traffic out of sheer anguish, restrained only by her young son. For many Ugandans, the struggle for survival is a daily reality, marked by extreme frugality and delayed gratification in the hope of achieving a semblance of security, like owning a home.
The core issue raised by these events is the apparent lack of foresight and preventative action from authorities. If the goal is to protect environmentally sensitive areas like wetlands, why are structures allowed to be erected in the first place, only to be destroyed later? This approach appears not only inhumane but also incredibly inefficient.
Questions linger about who sanctions these constructions and whether authorities are truly unaware of ongoing building activities in gazetted areas. Critics argue that holding individuals accountable for illegal encroachment is insufficient. Those who enable these constructions, whether through negligence or complicity, should also share the burden of the evictions. The illusion that people can build in such areas, often fueled by corrupt systems, needs to be dismantled, and those responsible for perpetuating it must also face consequences.
Allowing people to build and then demolishing their homes creates bitterness and desperation, especially among those who have tried to earn a living honestly. This situation could potentially breed resentment that manifests in other harmful ways. A more humane and effective approach would be to prevent construction altogether in environmentally protected zones, rather than permitting it for years and then resorting to destructive demolitions.