Environment Week: Keep Buganda Green, Katikkiro to Youths
By: Hassan Sendija
The first Deputy Katikiro, Owek. Hajji Twaha Kawaase launched the 2021 Buganda Environment week edition at the event held yesterday at Bulange Gardens in Mengo.
The second prime in command, Owek. Hajji Twaha Kawaase asked Buganda and Uganda people to protect the environment through planting trees and he made this call especially to Youths who are reluctant when it comes to environment issues.
Katikkiro is saying, the population keeps on growing at high speed and yet the land doesn’t expand.
We need to keep our country green, we has to start marking all our celebrations with tree planting.
As Buganda we still demanding our land from the central government because some parts of that land are occupied by Forests and they are not well kept, replacing our indigenous trees with other trees is not what we want” Said Deputy Katikkiro while addressing Buganda at Bulange Mengo on Tuesday.
Buganda and Uganda at large in fear over environmental degradation, a lot of avenues have be out in place to overcome the fear and they has been launched at different levels.
Katikkiro emphasized on afforestation as key factor in keeping Buganda heritage.
“We have launched an attack on environment in Buganda and entire Uganda, there has been a superior population growth, first of all Uganda is 24,1000 square Kilometers, in 1950s, the population was 5 million, in 90s it raised to 17M, 2000 we were 23M and now we have 45M people.
Uganda total land has never expanded but the population is growing constantly, now in Uganda every square Kilometer occupied by nearly 200 people, in Buganda we sit on 61,000 Square Kilometers and we have 203 people per square Kilometer,Leaving alone that, Buganda is based on clans and most of the clans needs the environment to be protected, some are plants, animals and Birds. All of those needs forests to live.
So as Baganda we have to keep the environment in order to keep our clans (totems).”
Hajja Twaha further warned on environment degradation effects to the country.
“We are currently experiencing Floods, Landslides, droughts but this is still a joke we would not like it if our nation turns into a desert, the biggest challenge is on the youths, how will you tell your children that our country was green?”
Buganda has been celebrating the environment day annually joining the entire World but decided to turn the one day into a week.
The week started on Tuesiday 25th May 2021 with giving tree seedlings to all Masaza that make uo Buganda,followed by environment sensitization and will go on for a full week.
At the event, Community Service Minister Owek. Mariam Mayanja Nkalubo has appealed to clan leaders (Abataka) to plant indigenous trees on Bika head quarters land (Embuga ze Bika).