Locals should protect shear butter trees says environment minister

The Minister of State for environment has said that there is need for concerted efforts to protect and preserve shear butter trees and Elephants that are facing a threat of extinction and yet they are source of income to the nation in terms of tourism and the oil from the shear tree is healthy for human consumption.

Hon Flavia Namugera, decried the massive environmental degradation and encroachment that has led to crimes of about 213 billion per year attributed to illegal wild life trade.

The minister told reporters from Gulu town recently that Northern and North Eastern Uganda must emphasis on the protection of specifically shear butter trees and elephants to save them from extinction and stop conflict between the environment and humans.

She says Shea trees should be protected from harvest in many places by local and state regulations, because they are classified as vulnerable, due to threats from timber and fuel harvest, as well as increasing agricultural encroachment.

According to the Shear Project an NGO working to conserve shear butter trees in the districts of northern and eastern Uganda, the shear-butter tree is the most conspicuous of the useful trees conserved when clearing land for cultivation. In traditional farming systems, the shear tree grows with millet, sorghum, pigeon pea, cotton, cowpeas, beans, cassava and even banana.

Protection of young shear trees is the most critical issue in the regenerative stability of the agro-ecosystem, as the developing tree can remain less than a meter in height for several years, and does not become productive (useful) until its 15th or 20th year. The wood of the shear tree is heavy, strong and termite resistant. It also makes excellent charcoal making it a target for the businessmen to that effect.

NGO National Bureau trains new committees to monitor NGOs in Gulu district.

Gulu District and Sub County members of the NGOs monitoring committee were last week taken through induction training to register, regulate, coordinate, inspect, observe and monitor the NGOs activities in the country as per the NGOs Registration Act of 2016 and National NGOs policy of 2010.

The training manual was developed by NGO National Bureau and conducted at Gulu District Council Hall last week.

According to the guidelines, the compositions of the committees among others include the Resident District Commissioner, Chief Administrative Officer, Community Development Officer and the Sub County Chief.

The Assistant CAO in charge of Aswa County Ms.Odwar Santa who represented the CAO says, the training has equipped them to monitor NGO activities in the District to partner for service delivery in the community adding that this will ultimately improve on the good partnership, coordination and reporting on the NGOs operating in the District to the National Bureau.

The National NGO policy was approved by the Cabinet on October 2010 while the NGO Act was established in 2016 giving the ministry of Internal Affairs through the National Bureau the mandate to provide guidelines for the District NGO Monitoring Committees while the National Bureau itself mandates also the Ministry of Internal Affairs to register, regulate, coordinate, inspect, monitor and observe the NGO Operations in the country.

The Program Manager at Justice and Reconciliation Project, JRP, a Non Governmental Organization Ms Apiyo Nancy however told our Acholi Times that the Act has limited their operations in the country but notes that amidst such challenges, the NGOs shall continue advocating for the wellbeing of the people and urged the government to respect the voices of the people at the grass root levels.

Acholi leaders condemn the shooting and teargas in Gulu town.

A section of leaders from Acholi sub region have condemned the manner in which the police stopped a planned rally at Kaunda ground as in Gulu town yesterday organized under the leadership of DP President Norbert Mao.

Mao while addressing a press conference at Northern Uganda Media Club in Gulu today says that there is a dilemma of some officials who just sit in their offices but do not have the powers to command for the right thing to be done under their jurisdiction.

According to Mao, the police were informed about a week ago in writing about the rally but they were surprised to see heavy police deployment at Kaunda grounds before the rally could begin.

Gilbert Olanya, the Kilak South MP said the teargas in the town yesterday was uncalled for since the major aim of the leaders for calling the community rally was to discourage them from joining any supposed rebelled group in the region if at all there is any planning of forming up.

Olanya says that there people who had gathered were eager to know the truth about the security situation in the region and there was no politics in the rally because all the political parties from both the opposition and the ruling government.

Komakech Lyandro, Gulu Municipal MP, says that they the region should be guarded from a relapse into war or violence but positive energy for recovery from the over two decade insurgency in the region.

He says the leaders in the Acholi region will continue to demand for peace in the region and have hence rescheduled for another meeting with the community on a date yet to be communicated.

Gulu commemorates World Sickle Cells Day with over 6, ooo turning up for treatment and testing.

Gulu district yesterday hosted the 4th Annual Conference to mark the national World sickle cell Day commemoration at Kaunda grounds with over 6,000 people turning up to get awareness on the genetic disease that is silently eating up the region under the team,” Sickle Cell, a concern for all.”
According to Tusuubira Sharif, the executive director Uganda Sickle Cell Rescue Foundation, Northern Uganda has the highest Sickle Cell burden at 20% percent due to the prevalence of malaria epidemic in the region.
Tusuubira says Sickle Cell management is a big financial burden to the family and the commemoration of the day is to give civil society and other partners the opportunity to support the government to raise the agenda of sickle cells and make substantial contribution to the effort to combat the disease.
Ajok Grace, a 40year old mother of five from Gulu says one of her children has sickle cells and she narrates her ordeal of having a sickler and how it has affected her marriage negatively because her husband refused to test for sickle cells blaming her instead for the disease on their child.
Bulyamu Kibirige, the chairman BMK Group of companies in Kampala who partnered with Uganda Sickle Cell Rescue Foundation in the fund raising drive for medicine, clothes and food for people born with Sickle cells says that there is need to create more awareness about the disease so that couples test and know their status and the outcome of having children in a marriage where there are possibilities of having sicklers.
He adds that there is a lot that needs to be done because the number of people with sickle cells burden especially in Gulu is overwhelming.
Kibirige says the people who are fighting the noble course of finding aid for sicklers need to do so with an open heart so that the patients live longer and have a happier life.
About 1,500 people received treatment and over 800 tested to know their status during the commemoration.
Hon. Hillary Onek the minister for disaster preparedness appreciated Uganda Sickle Cell Rescue foundation for the noble course to save the lives of sicklers and pledged to urge government for increase in the number of health facilities that handle sickle cell cases in the region.
Currently, there are only two hospitals handling Sickle Cells Disease in the region that is Gulu Regional Referral Hospital and St Mary’s Hospital Lacor.

Gulu needs enforcement to conserve the environment

Gulu district has today hosted the world environment day celebrations under the theme “Conserve Wildlife, Sustain livelihoods” with a call to strengthen the district environment office to enable the enforcement of environmental laws and policies at the local government level but also increase awareness on environmental conservation in the communities.

Currently, Gulu district has a single environment officer who is supposed to handle all environmental issues in the district.

Atto Francesca, the only environment officer of Gulu district says that conserving the environment should be a collective responsibility of all stake holders in replanting tress and protecting the wild life for a peaceful co-existence.

Martin Ojara Mapenduzi, the district chairman who was represented by his vice Douglas Peter Okello during the national celebrations at Pece Stadium today called upon the government to work with the local government structures and increase the number of personnel in the environment office so that they can easily reach out to the community and sensitize them to preserve and earn from their environment through agriculture and animal husbandry.

Mapenduzi called for a total review of the environmental official positions for proper enforcement of decisions needed to conserve the environment.

He adds that the there is need to strengthen the work of the environmental police through training and any other support to avert the challenge of enforcement that has remained predominant in the District Environment office.

Capt Santos OkotLapolo, the RDC Gulu says that people including key stake holders have to bear in mind that when the environment is damaged it impacts on the economic and social livelihoods of the people.

He adds that Oitino dam that led to shortage in Water supply by National water early this year will continue to dry up and Gulu will suffer from water shortage if they destroy the environment especially the swamps and forests that help in rainfall formation for the water to collect in the dam before it is supplied to the consumers.

Gulu district early this year experience acute water shortage for over two weeks and all the aquatic life in the dam died as a result of the dry spell the district experienced at that time.

Environment minister warns on Charcoal business in Gulu.

The minister of Environment, Hon Flavia Namugera has advised Gulu district to levy heavy taxes four times the current amount on charcoal dealers in the district to deter and limit the rate of tree cutting in the region to conserve the environment and discourage the trade.

Hon. Namugera was speaking as the chief guest during the national celebration of the World environment Day held at Pece Stadium in Gulu today under the theme, “Conserve Wildlife, Sustain livelihoods.”

The minister noted that there are hundreds of bags of charcoal that leave Gulu for other districts on a daily basis and yet the local leaders have the mandate to stop the practice that is causing changes in the climate of the region.

She adds that Ugandans should use the wild life and the environment properly to contribute to the achievement of the Uganda Vision 2040.

Atto Francesca, Gulu district environment officer says that it is possible for the district to levy heavy taxes on the charcoal dealers who she agrees are depleting the forests at a very fast rate but their main challenge is with the neighboring districts that have no concrete measures yet in place to stop massive tree cutting.

Atto who declined to mention the neighboring districts that they have been in talks with before on the implementation of heavy taxes on the charcoal dealers says that I will take the effort of all districts in the region to agree and implement on how to stop charcoal business that in hurting the environment massively.

Gulu district recently banned the charcoal business but little impact has yet been seen as many tracks can still be seen day and mostly at night ferrying charcoal to the central business district of Kampala.

Total E& P strengthens ties with the community through Sports.

Total E&P Uganda, has launched its first ever mini football league in Nwoya district with eight (8) football teams from Purongo and Got-Apwoyo sub-counties competing for a Total trophy and other prizes.

Nwoya district chairman, Patrick Okello Oryema yesterday flagged-off the mini-football league that will be played until June 25th, 2016 at Purongo and Paraa primary school play grounds in Purongo Sub County with a call for friendship and a peaceful co-existence between the community and the oil company.

The winning team will receive a trophy and a bull while the rest of the participating teams will also benefit from other various prizes.

Total E&P Uganda Public Relations Officer Christopher Ocowun says Nwoya District is key to their operations since it hosts the resources that the company is developing in the Murchison Falls National National Park.

He adds that Total is using sports as an opportunity to promote activities that enable the company to continuously interact and live in harmony with the people of Nwoya.

According to Ocowun, Total prepared the fields for the games, through the installation of new football goal posts to the host schools and provided the players with kits for the matches.

The participating teams include; Wii Anaka FC, Patira FC, Protouch FC, Got Ngur FC, Bel Kec FC, Super Villa FC, The Crane FC and Lion Power FC. The eight participating teams were selected by Nwoya District Football Association after playing qualifier matches organized by the district football association for more than 20 teams. The matches will be presided over by referees selected from within the community.