Conservation
NEMA to Investigate Pollution Complaints in Luwero Villages
The National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) has announced plans to send inspectors to Yandwe, Ndibulungi, and Kakabala Nnalongo villages in Luwero District following rising complaints of air and water pollution allegedly caused by nearby factories.
Residents say the pollution has worsened in recent months, with smoke, soot, and dust particles spreading across homesteads and farmlands, leaving families exposed to health risks.
Buule Kose Kizito, the LC1 chairman of Yandwe, described the impact on the community:
“Thick smoke breaks into particles and spreads across our homes. Many people here are coughing and suffering from flu-like symptoms. We ask the government to compel factories to operate with safeguards so our communities are not left exposed.”
Residents report that fruits and vegetables are often coated in black soot, forcing some families to abandon eating greens grown in their gardens. Clothes hung outside are said to collect fine black dust, while rainwater harvested from rooftops becomes contaminated.
Robert Seru, a farmer in Yandwe 1, said, “When you hang clothes outside, they get covered with black dust. The same particles fall on the iron sheets we use to collect rainwater, leaving it dirty and unsafe.”
NEMA’s Executive Director, Dr. Barirega Akankwasah, confirmed that the authority would dispatch inspectors to assess the situation.
“We shall send inspectors to find out about this latest complaint of particles,” he said. “The other time it was water pollution. Now I will send inspectors for air quality.”
Dr. Akankwasah emphasized that investigations would cover both air and water quality, with a view to determining the source of the contamination and enforcing compliance where violations are found.
According to Isaac Wampamba, the Luwero District Councillor for Butuntumula Sub-County, the pollution concerns have persisted for years.
“There is constant noise and soot covering fruits and vegetables. Some families have even stopped eating their greens. Government should act now because the communities feel abandoned,” he said.
Residents revealed that they had previously engaged Victoria Sugar Factory, located nearby, in search of a solution but received no positive response. The community now wants independent tests of both air and water quality, stricter enforcement of pollution standards, and closer coordination between regulators and factory owners.
While residents acknowledge the importance of industrial growth, they argue that development should not come at the expense of community health and the environment.
“Our health and environment should not be sacrificed for development,” Chairman Kizito said. “We need industries that grow without destroying the communities around them.”
Environmental activists say the case in Luwero reflects wider tensions in Uganda, where rapid industrial expansion has often outpaced enforcement of environmental safeguards. The outcome of NEMA’s investigations is now keenly awaited, with villagers hoping it will lead to concrete measures that protect both livelihoods and public health.
Comments
