By Johnson Kanyesige
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has directed the Chief of Defense Forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, to investigate senior army officers allegedly involved in illegal activities in Bugoma Central Forest Reserve in Kikuube District.
The directive, contained in a February 23, 2026, letter addressed to Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, follows a complaint by Tom Butime in October 2025 over widespread degradation, deforestation, and encroachment of the forest.
“All this must stop forthwith. I have also been informed that UPDF is involved in charcoal burning in the forest. I therefore direct the CDF to investigate which personnel are responsible,” Museveni wrote.
The President further instructed the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) to take over the protection of the forest and ordered that all encroachers be evicted without exception.
He also directed that Bugoma be upgraded to a national park to ensure maximum protection.
“Bugoma is crucial for our ecosystem as a catchment area for several rivers, and for carbon dioxide absorption, among others,” Museveni added.
The letter was copied to the Vice President, the Minister of Water and Environment, the Chief of Defense Forces, and the Attorney General.
Despite being highly guarded by the National Forestry Authority (NFA), Bugoma forest is facing massive depletion, with reports of illegal timber logging, charcoal burning, and cultivation.
Some individuals are said to have fraudulently acquired land titles within the reserve.
Last month, Kikuube RDC Godwine Angalia revealed that he had faced threats from top government officials and tycoons after launching operations to protect the forest, highlighting the high economic stakes involved.
NFA Executive Director Stuart Maniraguha told URN that boundary pillars are being installed across the forest to prevent further encroachment.
Environmentalists and residents have protested the ongoing destruction, warning that it threatens chimpanzee habitats and undermines the area’s eco-tourism potential.
Bugoma Central Forest Reserve, covering 410 square kilometres, was gazetted in 1932 and taken over by NFA in 2003.
It hosts high biodiversity, including 24 mammal species, 465 tree species, 359 bird species, 289 butterfly species, and 130 moth species. Chimpanzees make up 10% of Uganda’s population, according to a 2012 census.
The forest serves as a migratory corridor for wildlife and a catchment for rivers draining into Lake Albert and the River Nguse, where the government plans a hydropower dam.
It is also strategically located near the Kingfisher oil field, playing a critical role in greenhouse gas absorption and local rain modification.
In 2016, Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom leased 22 square miles of adjacent land to Hoima Sugar Limited for sugarcane cultivation. Environmental regulators allowed cultivation on 9.24 square miles, allocated 1.26 square miles for an urban center, 1.97 square miles for eco-tourism, and restored 3.13 square miles as forest, preserving 6.17 square miles as natural forest. Conservationists have criticized the move, citing threats to ecosystems and tourism, though the Kingdom insists the leased land is ancestral property, not part of the Bugoma forest.
