For a while, Bugoma Central Forest Reserve has been falling silent under the roar of chainsaws and the smoke of charcoal kilns. Hundreds of hectares have already been stripped bare, for logging, farming and sugarcane growing, leaving behind scars on one of Uganda’s vital ecosystems. On 10th May, men were found burning charcoal inside the forest whereas a couple of them were arrested, others fled.
This was during the official handover of the forest reserve from the Ministry of Water and Environment to the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities (MTWA), to be managed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA).
Presided over by the Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, the handover followed President Museveni’s letter directing the transfer and arrest of all individuals involved in the destruction of the Bugoma ecosystem.
Echoing the president’s letter of February 23, 2026, Nabbanja reflected the emotional but stern directive of transferring Bugoma forest to the management of Uganda Wildlife Authority, and having the same upgraded to a national park status.
The same letter, as read by the prime minister to different stakeholders who had gathered at Kikuube district headquarters on Saturday, had also instructed the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) to cause an investigation on the alleged UPDF officers who were involved in the charcoal burning within the forest. To this, Nabbanja promised to follow up with the CDF on the status of such investigations.
Bugoma forest was gazetted in 1932 with 41,144 hectares (over 101,860 acres). “With the powers entrusted to me by the president, I also direct that the boundaries have to be opened and whoever is found inside the gazetted area, will be evicted. Whether small, medium, large or extra large, you are going to be evicted,” Nabbanja assured. She explained that upon receiving the president’s letter, a couple of meetings were called involving the attorney general, representatives from the ministry of water and environment among others.
“And we all agreed that conservation was the way forward,” Nabbanja stated. “Pursuant to section 7 of the national forestry and tree-planting Act, Cap 160, I directed the minister of water and environment to revoke the statutory order declaring Bugoma a forest central reserve but this ought not to stop the take-over,” she added.
“I have been hearing about entities like Hoima sugar (company) that have been looking for me, but I don’t give them a chance to see me. I don’t deal with corrupt people. Let the ministry (of lands and environment), upon opening the boundaries be the one to tell us that Hoima sugar (company) is out (of the gazetted area). And if there are any illegal certificates issued on the same land, they should be cancelled with immediate effect,” Nabbanja ordered.
On his part, Tom Butime, the minister for tourism, wildlife and antiquities lauded the prime minister for presiding over the handover, which he said, reflects the government’s commitment to environmental protection and sustainable management of Uganda’s natural resources. “I also thank the president for the leadership, commitment and decisive directive issued towards the protection of Bugoma forest. The president’s intervention demonstrated the government’s determination to safeguard Uganda’s environmental heritage and to ensure that this important ecosystem is protected for present and future generations,” Butime expressed.
“The forest plays a critical role in biodiversity conservation, climate regulation, rainfall formation and protection of water catchment systems that support communities and economic activities within the region and beyond. The increasing pressure from Bugoma forest over the years, highlighted the need for institutional coordination, enhanced conservation oversight and more structured government intervention to safeguard this important ecosystem,” he added.
Butime observed that the leadership of the Uganda Wildlife Authority has in the past years demonstrated capacity and professionalism in protected area management, law enforcement, ecological restoration, wildlife protection and community conservation. He thus expressed optimism saying that the government has full confidence in UWA to effectively manage and protect Bugoma forest.
James Musinguzi, the UWA executive director said ranger deployment has already been effected to avoid further encroachment.
“We are also going to ensure that several stakeholders including the district and local leadership are involved in the management of this forest. In addition to deploying drones among other aerial monitoring systems to ensure that no more illegalities take place in that ecosystem,” Musinguzi assured.
Vicente Opio, the Kikuube district vice chairman, welcomed the UWA takeover of Bugoma forest saying the process was initiated by the district council in 2022.
He pledged that the district was to offer full support to UWA, to ensure the effective and efficient protection and restoration of the degraded part of Bugoma forest.
Meanwhile, Opio appealed to the wildlife authority to fence off the protected area so as to mitigate the human-wildlife conflict.
Florence Natumanya the Kikuube district woman member of parliament appealed to UWA that the farmers who had already planted maize among other crops, be allowed a grace period to harvest.
To this however, the prime minister turned down saying, the protection takes immediate effect. “No one should be allowed to take away even a single leaf from that area,” Nabbanja warned.
Boaz Basigyirenda, the range manager of Budongo ecosystem range which covers 43 forest reserves including Bugoma, said Bugoma forest had been safe until the year 2015 when Hoima sugar LTD, was leased the forested land.
He noted that since then, there has been an influx of people encroaching on the forest land, to which cases, the National Forestry Authority (NFA) got overwhelmed, adding that 364 cases were opened up at different police stations, some of which were successfully prosecuted in the courts of law.
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