Archbishop: Sluggish enforcement of environment laws will spell doom for Uganda

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, The Most Reverend Samuel Kaziimba Mugalu, has attributed Uganda’s shortcomings in safeguarding the environment and mitigating the effects of climate change to a deficiency in the enforcement of laws and regulations.

Archbishop Kaziimba observed that Uganda possesses a comprehensive body of legislation, including stringent laws related to environmental protection and climate change. However, he expressed concern that the implementation of the law is lacking.

The Archbishop made the remarks while addressing Christians gathered in Nakulabye-Kiwuunya to commemorate The Africa Climate Week.

According to a climate change report by Irish Aid, Uganda is currently struggling with the consequences of climate change which encompass shifting weather patterns, declining water levels, and a heightened occurrence of extreme weather events such as floods and droughts.

In line with this, the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN) Index has positioned Uganda as the ninth most vulnerable and the twenty-seventh least prepared country to cope with and adapt to the effects of climate change among the nations it assessed in 2015.

The Archbishop noted that it’s high time government and responsible agencies woke up from their slumber to enforce the enacted laws and save the country from a possible catastrophe.

According to Kaziimba, even though climate change may be an unfamiliar phenomenon to the average person, its eventual impact will affect everyone. He stressed the importance of raising awareness and educating the public about the necessity of environmental protection, starting with tackling issues like proper waste disposal and management, with a particular focus on reducing the use of plastics and polythene bags.

The Archbishop also urged all clergy to incorporate discussions on climate change and environmental protection into their sermons and public addresses.

Rev. Andrew Agaba, the Director of Household Community Transformation at the Church of Uganda Provincial Secretariat, observed that as a means of securing a better climate in future, the is a need to stop burning waste and plant more trees which would help in the reduction of greenhouse emissions produced.

As an illustrative example, Rev. Agaba highlighted that they have a five-year comprehensive plan to plant more than 40 million trees on land owned by the Church of Uganda, including church premises, schools, and healthcare facilities.

During the occasion, area residents enthusiastically participated in various community activities, such as cleaning their surroundings and collecting polythene materials. They also demonstrated their dedication to environmental conservation by planting trees.

The event coincided with the ongoing significant global gathering of leaders from various parts of the world in Nairobi, Kenya, as they convened for the Africa Climate Summit. The summit’s primary focus is on addressing the substantial challenges posed by climate change, particularly the issues related to loss and damage caused by its impacts.

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