200 acre marijuana farm discovered in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda’s top tourism destination, Queen Elizabeth National Park is also being used to generate recreational substances whose earnings are not reflected in the country’s tourism revenues.

What is arguably the country’s largest narcotics farm has today been discovered by a combined team of two police divisions-Katwe and Bwera which were commanded by their Divisional Police Commanders and backed by operatives of the state intelligence services ISO.

Seven people suspected to have links to the lucrative farm have so far been arrested. Two of them were arrested right inside the farm in the park. These suspects are Duncan Kambaho, 25, and Isaac Kule 24. Others were picked from Rwembyo village, in Kiburara town council of Kisinga sub county.

The DPC of Katwe Tyson Rutambika said there have been complaints from neighboring districts indicating that a lot of marijuana from Kasese area has been ending in their areas.

There are also other smaller farms outside the park in the area. Geoffrey Mbusa Bithotho, the Rwembya area LC1 chairman says local leaders had failed to take action because some of the suspects could threaten them whenever they pointed out the issue during community meetings.

He says there has been series of meetings to encourage the community to abandon the practice but some remained adamant.

Sunday Masereka, a local resident says they woke up to the police force combing their area on Friday morning. He says they knew some of the suspects for inter-planting marijuana with other crops in their gardens.

Earlier on Thursday, police in the district arrested Charles Kabagambe from Kitoro cell, in Nyamwamba division of Kasese municipality for allegedly growing marijuana.

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