{UAH} Police, UPDF officers draw guns over illegal timber

Police, UPDF officers draw guns over illegal timber

Written by Simon Musasizi

 Last Updated: 14 August 2015

 

A UPDF soldier guards the Canter from which timber was offloaded onto the Riham Fuso

No one would suspect any ill-motives when a Fuso truck with registration number UAV 522F parked on Market street in Kagadi town, Kibaale district.

Branded with Riham colours and logos, it was assumed to be business as usual, with the truck expected to be delivering Riham merchandise.

Unknown to the town duellers, however, is that the truck was filled with timber obtained illegally, and had only parked there to wait for another truck that would bring in eucalyptus timber. The eucalyptus was supposed to disguise the other timber.

However, the National Forestry Authority (NFA), which had for a long time suspected the truck to be involved in some illicit trade, had planted its spies to track it down. Last week, in came a Canter with registration number UAV 004J loaded with eucalyptus timber.

The blue Canter parked next to the Fuso and as people began offloading the timber and loading it onto the Fuso, soldiers from the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) attached to NFA swung into action and made the arrest. This resulted in chaos as the drivers alerted the district forest officer ,Wilson Kyamuhondire, who came in with police to rescue them.

In a show of might – with NFA/UPDF versus DFO/police – the locals enjoyed the drama, which was also witnessed by The Observer. Kyamuhondire wanted the trucks released, claiming he had cleared them. However, when NFA officials requested to look at their documents, they didn't have them, with Kyamuhondire claiming they were in his office in Kibaale town.

The following day, August 6, Kyamuhondire produced documents: a forest produce movement permit, Kibaale local government general receipt and a letter to NFA. Unfortunately, they had two glaring mistakes; they were all dated August 6, yet the trucks had been nabbed on Wednesday, August 5, meaning that they had been prepared that same day. Secondly, the registration number of the Fuso, which he indicated in his documents was UAU 522F, which was different from the one the soldiers captured.

"The above vehicles have timber of Mr Arinaitwe Keneth bought from Kisembo Isaac which I strongly know they were cut from a private eucalyptus forest after being given permission by my office," Kyamuhondire's letter to NFA read.

"I instructed them to park in Kagadi so that I send them papers for clearing them. They have paid taxes for that timber and I have cleared them to move to Kakumiro." 
He attached a receipt, which showed that Arinaitwe had paid Shs 400,000 for 600 pieces of timber.

The law requires that timber is cleared at the site where it has been cut. When asked why he had planned to clear it at Market street, Kyamuhondire said he was away in Hoima when Arinaitwe loaded the timber. That after speaking over the phone, he granted them the wish to load the timber, and instructed them to park in Kagadi town from where he would hand them the paperwork.

However, according to Fredrick Atugonza, the NFA's forest supervisor for Kagombe beat, who headed the operation, parking in Kagadi town was only a trick to allow them fill up the top of the truck with eucalyptus timber.

"They bring timber in pickups at night and load it on closed cars. They use company cars like Riham, which have brought merchandise this side and would return to Kampala empty," Atugonza said.

According to Atugonza, there are no more licenses to harvest timber.

"They all expired in June this year, and have never been renewed by the ministry of Water and Environment. When they do so, we are usually informed and the DFO gives us the list of the people who have been licensed," he said.

According to World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Uganda loses about Shs 23bn in illegal timber trade annually through uncollected fees and taxes. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) puts the figure at $30-100 billion lost to the global economy every year, making the trade in illegally-harvested timber highly damaging to national and regional economies. UNEP further notes that illegal logging degrades forests, causes economic loss, destroys biodiversity and livelihoods, promotes corruption, and funds armed conflict.

In Kagadi town, Kyamuhondire is said to be one of the richest people.

"He owns a whole street and has the biggest hardware shop in town. Even that Canter is his," said one of the vendors in Kagadi town.

"You think you can do anything to him," he further said.

Indeed, when the trucks were towed to the police station, they were released on orders of the deputy RDC Emma Ngabirano. The timber was, however, offloaded, with NFA insisting that even if they managed to get the paperwork, the timber was cut using a power saw, which is illegal; the law only allows cutting timber using the hand saw.

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Gwokto La'Kitgum

"Even a small dog can piss on a tall Building", Jim Hightower

"But this I know, UPC believed and still believes in

very high education. We can call Obote all bad names we have, but the bottom line remains that he got more scholarships for Buganda than all previous Uganda leaders combined. That includes Sir Edward Mutesa, President Lule, President Binayisa, up to and into Ssabasajja Mutebi. Who all happen to be Baganda leaders." Mulindwa

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