Investigations reveal Adjumani district forest on the brink of extinction

Adjumani district leaders have failed to account for the district forest reserve’s continued depletion, which has now been converted to settlement.

The initially 40 acres of thick district forest land located in the north end of Adjumani town council, which was handed over by Adjumani Mission under the Arua Catholic Diocese in 1934, has been encroached upon by some district leaders.

Other business communities have used it for settlement and the establishment of business empires.

Adjumani Forest Reserve was surveyed and mapped on sheet 13/2, and it is registered on the boundary plan (BP 1635), measuring 48 hectares.

The area was gazetted in 1934 and declared by the then-Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Cooperatives via Statutory Instrument (S.I) No.176 of 1968.

In 1998, the Ugandan government implemented forest reforms, decentralizing some forest estates, including the Adjumani forest reserve to District Local Governments (DLGs). As a result, S.I No.176 of 1968 was repealed by Forest (Reserves) Declaration Order No. 63 of 1998.

A walk through the forest reserve reveals that the evergreen vegetation has vanished, and construction work is underway.

Augustine Asuba, the head catechist of Adjumani Mission Parish and a witness to the land agreement with the district council, is among the dissatisfied residents of Adjumani.

Since the forest is located in the center of the town council, he claims that the ultimate purpose of giving it to the district was to ensure proper management because the church was unable to provide adequate security.

“I’ve seen that people are selling this land and why is it that the district is quiet and people do this illegally? Why doesn’t the district take action? If they (district leaders) are no longer interested in the land let them give it back?” Asuba revealed

But who is at the center of the deal? Who benefits?

For this investigation to proceed, tndNews West Nile Bureau Reporter Evaline Anzoo spoke with Opi Ilali Tolu Emmanuel, the clan chief of the Lajopi clan under the Madi Chiefdom.

He revealed that the 40-acre plot of land was first acquired by christian missionaries who later planted the trees for wood logs and later handed over to the district council for protection, and that “the land was given to the missionaries by the Lajopi clan for establishing forestry that would help them as firewood.”

“Before the missionaries left, they handed over the land and trees to the district authorities because community animals were destroying their planting,” he explained.

Tolu goes on to say that the current state of encroachment on the land is primarily the result of some powerful business people collaborating with politicians in the district.

Araka Bala, the elder of the Lajopi clan, explained that some of the locals in the area are in the process of selling the land. He added that locals are selling an acre of forest land for shs8.9 million.

“People are selling the land and even some of the district leaders have their buildings in the area,” Bala added.

The Adjumani district forest land is now estimated to be 15% of the 48 acres after the district leadership abandoned it to encroachers.

In 2020, the Adjumani district council expressed interest in degazetting the forest reserve to allow for the establishment of market and business centers.

However, the Ministry of Water and Environment halted the process, requesting that the district’s leadership find an alternative land of equivalent size that can be forested before degazettement. This has never happened, but the land has been severely encroached.

As we moved deeper into the encroached land, we met workers at a construction site who informed us that they were building a Coca-Cola depot for Justine Mawadri, a prominent businessman in Adjumani.

Mawadri also owns the Bucolic Hotel, which shares a border with the Forest Reserve.

When contacted over the phone to inquire about how he acquired the land, Mawadri became enraged and began abusing this journalist, saying, “You are very stupid; if you go to the forest, will you only find my workers? Why are you following me?

“I have saved your number and you will see me? If you want information about the forest, go to the Forest officer, not me?” he ended the call shortly.

According to Micheal Ojja, the Adjumani district forest officer, said the District Physical Development Plan has not changed the status or use of the land, so everyone who lives there is doing so illegally.

“Whatever is happening in the forest is out of illegality, the status remains that this is a protected area and as duty bearers our mandate is to protect them in trust of the people.”

Ojja stated that the district’s ongoing staff turnover has had a significant impact on biodiversity protection, particularly in areas directly under the district’s jurisdiction.

“There’s laxity among the staff, especially since several errors have been committed by technical officers who failed to do their mandate resulting in what you’re seeing today. I think we own the challenge,” he added.

According to a letter dated March 31, 2025 to all encroachers, Ocen James Andrew, the Chief Administrative Officer of Adjumani district local government, stated that “the forest reserve has never been degazetted by any resolution of Parliament, nor have attempts to do so been successfully lodged by the Lajopi clan upon approval by the district council.”

“The mentioned forest reserve is now being claimed by the Lajopi clan in collusion with some local leaders, despite the provisions of Section 32 (1) of the NFTPA, 2003.”

However, CAO Ocen warns that if the encroachers do not leave within 60 working days, they will face serious consequences.

“Those willing to leave, may be allowed to do so peacefully within 60 days due date, without undertaking new development initiatives. Any use of the said land MUST be sought for from the Chief Administrative Officer, including its use for crop cultivation.”

Adjumani district local government currently manages two forest reserves: Pakele Forest Reserve and Adjumani District Forest Reserve.