By URN
Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom officials have raised a red flag following the destruction of key cultural sites located within the Bugoma Forest Reserve in Kikuube District.
The Kingdom authorities, together with conservationists and community members settling adjacent to the forest reserve, say critical cultural sites located in the forest reserve have been depleted.
There are more than 30 crucial cultural sites situated within the Bugoma forest reserve. Some of the cultural sites include Mwangaizima wells, Omukama Nyamutukura Musuga Kyebambe III palace site, Kamugamba wells and Ensa zakateboha, among others. The King of Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom visits these cultural sites to perform rituals.
During a visit conducted by the Kingdom officials, headed by the Chief Prince (Okwiri) Fred Rucunya Mugenyi, to some of the cultural sites inside the Bugoma forest reserve, it was discovered that there was massive destruction of cultural sites and other parts of Bugoma Forest due to ongoing land use, allegedly by Hoima Sugar Ltd and illegal activities.
The officials faulted Hoima Sugar Limited for expanding their boundary beyond the leased areas and encroaching on traditional and ecologically sensitive zones.
Mugenyi accused Hoima Sugar Limited of violating the lease agreement by failing to preserve the cultural sites that are very crucial in the history of the Kingdom. He vowed to take legal action against the company for the destruction of the cultural sites.
Mugenyi particularly faulted Amlan Tumusiime, the former Resident District Commissioner (RDC) of Kikuube, for conniving with the Sugar company to hire out some of the Kingdom land situated adjacent to the forest reserve to private investors who have since cleared the land and cultural sites for farming.
He says, Tumusiime would heavily deploy soldiers to block Kingdom officials from accessing the forest reserve whenever they wanted to go and check on their cultural sites in the forest.
He says, currently, they have a plan to restore all the depleted cultural sites by advocating for the preservation of all cultural sites and ensuring sustainable land use practices.
He has called for intervention from the government and national institutions to resolve the matter and have the Kingdom’s cultural sites immediately restored.
He says that soon the Kingdom will embark on a massive tree planting campaign in the area.
Apollo Rwamparo, the former Tourism Minister in the Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom, who is also a member of the Babiito (royal clan) says, beyond cultural impacts, the clearing of Bugoma Forest contributes to the loss of biodiversity and has since worsened climate change effects that have negatively affected the area.
He says all the medicinal trees in the forest reserve have been destroyed.
He wants stern action taken against all those involved in the destruction of the cultural sites and the entire Bugoma forest.
However, Amlan Tumusiime, who is being accused of conniving with Hoima sugar to destroy the cultural sites, has distanced himself from any wrongdoing, noting that the allegations put against him by the Kingdom officials are baseless and that they are aimed at tarnishing his image before the public.
According to Tumusiime, in 2016, the King of Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom, Dr. Solomon Gafabusa Agutamba Iguru, personally leased 22 square miles of the said land to Hoima Sugar Limited for a period of 99 years, and there is no way the Kingdom officials can start disturbing the investor from using the land.
He states that the Okwiri (Chief prince) has no moral authority to comment and question the circumstances under which the King leased the piece of land to Hoima Sugar Limited.
Bugoma forest reserve is currently facing massive depletion despite being highly guarded by the National Forestry Authority (NFA).
The Central Forest Reserve, covering 410 square kilometres of a protected area, and a stretch of forest measuring 40 kilometres, is a tropical forest in Kikuube district, gazetted in 1932 and taken over by the National Forestry Authority in 2003.
It is endowed with a high Biodiversity with 24 species of mammals, 465 species of trees, 359 species of birds, 289 species of butterflies and 130 species of moths.  The mammals include monkeys, chimpanzees, buffalo, Uganda Kobs and elephants.
A 2012 Chimpanzee census discovered that 10 per cent of Uganda’s Chimpanzee population was in Bugoma forest.
The forest is also a migratory route for wild animals connecting to game parks and a catchment area for rivers that drain into Lake Albert and the river Nguse, where the government plans to build a hydro power dam.
Situated near the Kingfisher oil field, the Forest is expected to play a crucial role in absorbing greenhouse gas emissions during oil drilling and also act as a rain modifier to boost agriculture.
In 2016, the Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom leased 22 square miles of the said forest land to Hoima Sugar Limited.
The sugar factory leased close to 22 square miles of the contested Bugoma Central Forest reserve land from the Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom for sugarcane growing for 99 years.
However, the National Environment Management Authority -NEMA found 13 of the 22 square miles unfit for a sugar plantation and recommended their preservation since it’s a wetland and forest reserve.
As a result, NEMA allowed Hoima Sugar factory to cultivate sugarcane on the remaining 9.24 square miles covering the grassland, establish an urban center on 1.26 square miles, an eco-tourism centre on 1.97 square miles, and restore 3.13 square miles of the forest reserve.
They also recommended the preservation of another 0.156 hectares for the cultural site and 6.17 square miles as a natural forest.
However, several conservationists have opposed the move, saying the giveaway is not only a threat to the ecosystem and endangered species, but it is likely to hurt tourism activities, which are a source of revenue for the local communities and the country.
Bunyoro Kitara has since explained that the land leased to Hoima Sugar is not part of the Bugoma forest but the Kingdom’s ancestral land that is adjacent to the forest reserve.
