Search Climate Insights Directory

This research paper by Bashir Twesigye analyzes the 2006 citizen-led campaign to prevent the Ugandan government from granting 7,100 hectares of the Mabira Central Forest Reserve to the Mehta Group for sugarcane production. The author examines how environmental activism served as a vehicle for broader governance and accountability demands, leveraging Uganda's 1995 Constitution and the National Environment Act to successfully halt the land transfer.

This research paper examines the impact of decentralization reforms on environmental accountability and natural resource management in Uganda. It argues that while the legal framework suggests a devolution of power to local governments, actual decision-making authority over protected forests and wildlife remains centralized within line ministries. The author contends that 'collaborative management' schemes are largely advisory and serve to legitimate central government policies rather than empower local citizens, leading to social inequalities and unsustainable environmental outcomes.