Jinja businessman in trouble for felling down mvule trees

Jinja, Uganda |THE INDEPENDENT | Renowned Jinja city businessman, Zziwa Mayanja is in trouble for felling two mvule trees. Mayanja is currently locked up at Nalufenya police station awaiting prosecution.

Trouble for Mayanja started when he cut down the legendary mvule trees believed to have been planted along the banks of River Nile and its surrounding areas by the late colonial chief, Semei Kakungulu in the early 1920s.

It is alleged that at around 6am on Sunday morning, Mayanja stormed bridge avenue within the Southern division in Jinja city, together with nine masons and started cutting down the trees without alerting any of the local leaders.

Faridah Musiiba, a resident within the area says that their attempts to block Mayanja and his men from felling the trees were futile. “The masons managed to scare off a few of our community members who had arrived at the scene much earlier on and by the time the rest of us were mobilized through the village Whatsapp group, two trees had been cut down,” she said.

Mayanja presented a 2019 tree clearance permit that was signed by the then deputy town clear of Jinja municipality, Jofram Waidhuba. The same permit allowed him to cut down eight Mvule trees. However, an official in the Natural Resources Office, said that they are investigating the possibility of forgery.

“We are suspecting an element of forgery in all this and there are ongoing forensic audits to ascertain the authenticity of the permit,” he said.

Saad Katemba, the area LC1 chairperson, says that the trees not only contribute to a clean ecosystem but also create an ambiance for tourists who throng their area with an aim of experiencing good air quality.

Katemba challenged all citizens to advocate for the co-existence of ancient tree species and the surrounding communities alike.

Maria Kasasa, the deputy mayor of Jinja Southern division, says that some leaders who are meant to spearhead environmental conservation drives are instead conniving with businessmen to encroach on the green spaces within the city.

Busoga Kingdom Spokesperson, Andrew Ntange says that Mvule is a rare tree species that defines Busoga’s cultural heritage, arguing that cutting them down undermines the supremacy of Busoga’s modern culture.

Jinja Deputy Resident City Commissioner, Peter Banya says that prosecution procedures are underway for the suspect to appear in courts of law.

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