The Kabaka (king) of Buganda, Ronald Mutebi, is petitioning the Constitutional Court in a bid to block the Government from giving away part of Mabira Forest to the Sugar Corporation of Uganda (SCOUL). The Buganda kingdom cabinet has decided to take this matter to the Constitutional Court to fight for the protection of the environment and all forests in Buganda to save the Kabaka’s subjects and their descendants from the adverse effects resulting from the Mabira give-away, Buganda’s deputy Information Minister, Medard Lubega Sseggona, announced in a statement. He noted that the Kabaka’s offer of alternative land for sugarcane production, near Mabira, had been ignored by the Government. It also regretted that the king’s emissaries to the sugar company had not reached any deal to save the ecologically and climatically critical forest. Kabaka’s decision is hinged on the need to save citizens from the eminent dangers of drought, desertification, poverty and famine the cutting of Mabira would stimulate. The Buganda kingdom also decided to take a petition to Parliament, sensitize the public on the dangers of deforestation and stage a peaceful demonstration to save the forest, is deeply divided over the issue.
Civil society organizations, led by the Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment, already filed a case with the Constitutional Court last week arguing that the proposed degazettement violates the constitution. Environmental activists, united under the Uganda Forest Working Group to Save Mabira Forest Reserve, handed over a petition against the planned give-away to the speaker, Edward Sekandi On Thursday
Mabira central forest reserve is one of Uganda’s largest surviving natural forests covering an area of 306 square kilometer. The forest is a natural habitat of 312 species of trees including the endangered Cordia, Millenii, Mililia Exclesa, the warbhugia Ugandenesis which has over forty ailments and the vulnerable Prunus Africana which cures prostate Cancer and boosts human immune system. Mabira is also home of 315 species of birds such as the nahan’s francolin, Cassin Hawk Eagle, the forest wood hoope, the purple throated Cuckoo, the Tit Hylia, the red headed blue bill, the Black bellied seed cracker, the shinning blue kingfisher, the white bellied kingfisher and the Blue headed crested monarch. Some of these species can only be found in Mabira forest, the pearl of Africa. Other Unique features to be explored in the forestv reserve include 218 butterfly species, 97 moth species and 23 small mammal species especially primate species of the monkey clan.