Norbert Mao, the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, has announced a mass tree-planting effort in Northern Uganda. The campaign is set to begin on July 22, 2023, coinciding with his ”Homecoming” ceremony.
Minister Mao stated that his ministry will deliver hundreds of thousands of tree seedlings in collaboration with Roofings Limited, with whom they have already signed a memorandum of understanding.
He stated that the land has been seriously damaged as a result of the indiscriminate destruction of trees for the charcoal business, but no alternatives for replanting the trees have been provided.
Fighting charcoal burners and blocking trucks, according to Mao, must go hand in hand with tree planting.
‘We can fight the charcoal burners and halt the lorries, but we also need to plant trees; the two go hand in hand,” Mao explained.
He also stated that the attorney general’s office will assist each sub-county affected by the charcoal industry in drafting strict by-laws that will be implemented by presidential executive orders.
“We are going to assist the sub-county governments; we are going to draft by-laws; I have spoken with the attorney general; we are going to draft tough by-laws for every affected sub-county and under the presidential executive order,” he continued.
The Minister claimed that simply arresting the perpetrators is insufficient and that sub-counties will be empowered to levy penalties and collect money from offenders, as well as subject them to community service.
This comes after President Museveni issued an executive directive in May prohibiting tree cutting for charcoal in Northern Uganda. This happened as a result of growing complaints from leaders in the Acholi Sub-region about the region’s burgeoning charcoal trade.
