CSOs withdraw Bugoma forest court case

Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) under the Save Bugoma Forest Campaign (SBFC) have withdrawn an appeal relating to Bugoma Central Forest Reserve from the Court of Appeal.

This decision stems from frustration over the protracted litigation, which has allowed Hoima Sugar Limited (HSL) to continue the destruction of Bugoma Central Forest Reserve, rendering the appeal moot.

While the CSOs initiated the case with the hope of halting Bugoma’s destruction, its prolonged legal process has hindered their advocacy efforts, necessitating withdrawal.

In August 2020, the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) issued an illegal Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) certificate of approval to HSL for its Kyangwali Mixed Land Use project. This certificate authorized HSL to engage in activities such as sugarcane cultivation, urban development, and other potentially harmful operations within Bugoma forest.

“We have decided to withdraw the Bugoma forest case from the Court of Appeal and it is a painful decision because the Judiciary in Uganda has frustrated us for three years, it has failed to hear and conclude the appeal, and yet the forest continues to be destroyed by Hoima Sugar and other landgrabbers,” said Dickson Kamugisha, the Executive Director of AFIEGO.

Consequently, in September 2020, the SBFC, represented by AFIEGO, NAPE, and WEMNET, filed a case in the High Court of Uganda, seeking the cancellation of HSL’s ESIA certificate of approval. The CSOs argued that NEMA’s issuance of the certificate violated several provisions of Uganda’s environmental laws.

Written by Mike Sebalu