Four people have been arrested while cutting down a forest reserve in Buswa, Bujumba Sub County, Kalangala District.
The arrests were made after a tip off through the RDC’s office on Saturday morning.
The Resident District Commissioner for Kalangala, Hon Fred Badda later dispatched a team led by the Assistant Resident District Commissioner Kajubi Twahika Kironde and the District Police Commander Kenneth Massette who immediately found the four busy cutting down large tree trunks in the Forest.
Some of the arrested have been identified as Emmanuel Tuzerimana, Ssekanjako Charles, Begumisa Samuel and Pascal Sserunjogi.
The arrested were using four timber cutting machines. Some of those operating the machines ran into hiding as soon as they realized Police was closing in on them.
“All of the people found in the forest reserve illegally cutting down timber did not have any permission. Unfortunately those who sent them to cut down trees in the reserve were not found on ground,” said Kajubi Twahika Kironde, the Assistant Resident District Commissioner who led the operation.
The arrested were found with 53 pieces of timber that had already been cut down and are now in transit to Kalangala Central Police Station to answer charges related to the illegal cutting down of forests.
The arrested claim, they were working for a one Ssekajja who operates several businesses within Kalangala Town.
There has been an increase in the cutting down of forests by illegal loggers in Kalangala. Most of the illegal loggers this website has spoken to claim, they are given instructions to do so by NFA officials within Kalangala District, a claim the RDC’s office in Kalangala continues to investigate.
About a month ago, several pieces of timber were found in Towa Central Forest Reserve in Mugoye Sub County and other central forest reserves including Busowe and Namatembe in Bujumba Sub County.
Well as NFA Officials deny the claim, a number of NFA staff have severally been arrested engaging in the illegal cutting down of timber and soliciting money from those cutting down timber in the Forests.
Assistant RDC Kajubi, in an interview with this website said, this is part of the ongoing work “to “protect the gains” already made by the NRM Government.
