Hoima leaders call for tree planting drive to preserve environment

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Leaders in Hoima district have appealed to communities to join efforts to address the area’s increasing deforestation.

According to Joslyn Nyangoma, the district natural resources officer, 90 percent of households rely on wood fuel for cooking, which has directly contributed to deforestation in the district.

Nyangoma urged communities and development partners during the launch of a tree planting drive in Hoima by the energy ministry last week to take deliberate action to curb deforestation and promote environmental conservation.

She said the campaign aims to address environmental challenges raised by communities in Kyakaboga resettlement village, where people affected by the oil refinery project in Hoima district were relocated.

“The campaign is geared towards restoring 101 acres of reserve land in Kyakabooga resettlement village,” she said.

Geoffrey Kumakech, the district councillor for Buseruka subcounty, said many forests in Hoima have been destroyed by people engaged in charcoal burning.

“We have many people burning charcoal, and this has greatly affected the environment. We are appealing to the people to embrace the tree planting campaign and plant more trees,” he said.

Dr Geoffrey Ogwang, the commissioner in the Midstream Petroleum Department, said on October 16, 2025, while launching the campaign, that the resettlement village covers 533 acres and has a population of more than 1,200 people who mainly depend on agriculture for their livelihood.

He explained that the ministry’s strategy focuses on two key components: adapting to the effects of climate change and implementing mitigation measures.

“As has been observed here, much of the tree cover in this village has been depleted, which, if not checked, will lead to environmental degradation. The loss of tree cover has been driven by demands for timber, fuelwood, unsustainable agricultural practices, and unregulated livestock grazing. If this continues as business as usual, the soil will become degraded, resulting in poor crop yield,” said Ogwang.

Ogwang added that the loss of tree cover also contributes significantly to the effects of climate change and destabilisation of the water cycle, leading to the disappearance of local streams and increased climatic variability.

“This will affect crop and livestock yields, hence the livelihoods of the people of Kyakabooga.

As you are aware, the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda 1995, empowers the Government to protect and preserve the environment from abuse, pollution and degradation; to manage the environment for sustainable development; and to promote environmental awareness,” he said.

He said that the ministry aims to massively and progressively increase tree cover in the resettlement village through tree planting and sustainable management of reserve land to enhance tree cover and conserve the environment.

Ogwang said the current programme will target the planting of over 40,000 trees on 101 acres of reserve land to increase tree cover in the region.

“As a start, today we shall plant 4,000 seedlings along the boundaries of the reserve land for purposes of demarcation. This will later be followed by a greater tree planting and management campaign to restore this area to its natural capacity in terms of ecosystem services, while also improving the productivity of the land,” Ogwang added.

Jackson Kiya, a resident of Kyakabooga, appreciated the ministry for its efforts to restore the degraded forest cover in the area.

“Through the project, we are being given trees which we shall plant on our land and in reserves. Many of our forests have been destroyed, and we have started suffering the effects of climate change,” Kiya said.