NEMA must be more relevant to environmental protection 

The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), which protects our environment, has threatened to arrest, and fine motor vehicle owners without garbage bins in their cars come April 1, 2023.

This decision has been suspended for 30 days. NEMA claimed the fines are meant to curb street rubbish littering. NEMA believed the arbitrary fines, which lacked legal authority, would be deterrents to would-be offenders. The culprits were to pay an express fine of Shs 6 million, and failure would attract criminal prosecution.

They, therefore, wanted all motor vehicles, especially passenger vehicles, to have bins where empty soft drink bottles, banana peels, and product wraps, among others, would be dumped. But while NEMA was endeavoring to enforce a law, it was at the same time being unlawful in its efforts.

The Uganda Law Society (ULS) reminded NEMA that the law was nonexistent and unconstitutional. The crime for which one could be taken to court for prosecution, was not defined, and the punishment was not prescribed by law as required by the constitution.

NEMA needs to be more creative than focus on a penal approach to solve environmental degradation matters. For instance, how has it worked with the garbage producers to ensure an environment without waste? Uganda has become a dumping ground for everything in the world.

Most cars imported in Uganda are used ones with inadequate carbon emission measures. Some of the imported chemicals used in factories, hospitals, and agriculture, among others, all have subtle but long-lasting side effects on both humans and the environment.

How has the hefty environmental levy imposed on imported secondhand cars helped to keep Uganda’s environment clean?

How has that money been spent to ensure the environment is insulated from unnecessary degradation? The focus of NEMA and the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) seems to be to collect more money than to clean the environment! NEMA needs to have a holistic approach to protecting the environment.

It turns a blind eye on squatters in the wetlands because it is not politically correct. It approved the man-made forest at Namanve to be cut down and replaced by carbon emitting factories!

This agency needs to work with the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) and other regulatory authorities to ensure that the goods imported or manufactured in the country are environmentally friendly. Strangely, all manufacturers in the country must carry out an environmental impact assessment.

That is a process of evaluating the likely environmental impacts of a proposed project or development, taking into account inter-related socio-economic, cultural, and human-health impacts, both beneficial and adverse. How often does NEMA follow up on these manufacturers to ensure they don’t breach what was recommended by the impact reports?