Rukungiri police impound four truck loads of timber

Rukungiri, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT |  Rukungiri Police have impounded four trucks carrying more than 400 pieces of timber from Butimba Wood Center valued at Shillings 25million. The impounded timber is believed to have been cut illegally from Imaramagambo National Forest in Bwambara Sub County in Rukungiri district.

Police acted on a tip off from Rukungiri Resident District Commissioner, Dan Kaguta. He told our reporter that he decided to plant spies in Butimba Wood Center after his office was wrongly accused of illegally cutting down trees in Imaramagambo forest.

According to Kaguta, his spies informed him on Tuesday evening about the arrival of a truck full of timber and he immediately informed police to intervene leading to the impounding of the truck and arrest of suspects he didn’t disclose. 

The Rukungiri District Police Commander, Moses Nanoka, says the supects are helping police investigations into the source of timber. He is optimistic that the suspect will help them arrest those behind the forest destruction.

Rukungiri Chief Administrative Officer, Elias Byamungu told URN that while appearing on a talk show over the weekend, a listener called in accusing the Resident District Commissioner of masterminding the destruction of Imaramagambo forest reserve.

According to Byamungu, he called up the District Forestry Officer, Arthur Twinomujuni directing him to prepare a report on the illegal activities in the forest. Twinomujuni told URN that he visited Imaramagambo forest, which is part of Queen Elizabeth national park as instructed by the CAO and discovered that a lot of Mahogany and Kirundu tree species had been cut for charcoal burning.

Stephen Ndemere, the Imaramagambo National Forest Sector Manager under National Forest Authority, says that he found some people cutting timber and burning charcoal in the forest last year and apprehended. He however, says that to his dismay they were given bail just after two weeks in prison.

Ndemere says the community members have encroached on the biggest part of the forest reserve and are currently cultivating rice, ground nuts, beans and water melons. Imaramagambo National Forest covers 15175 hectares of land.

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URN