Rukungiri District Launches Demarcation of Lake Kimbungu Boundaries to Protect Environment

Rukungiri: Rukungiri District authorities have launched the physical demarcation of Lake Kimbungu boundaries by installing concrete markstones and pillars to clearly define the protected buffer zone around the lake.

The exercise was carried out at Lake Kimbungu in Kimbungu Cell, Kiganga Parish, Nyarushanje Sub-county, as part of efforts to protect the environment and prevent encroachment on the lake shores.

The demarcation exercise involved measuring 100 meters from the lake banks, where no human activities will be allowed in line with environmental protection laws.

The function on May 8, was attended by officials from the offices of the Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Environment Office, Tourism Department, Forestry Office, Lands Department, Physical Planning Department, as well as surveyors, cartographers, sub-county leaders and local residents.

The move follows complaints from some residents who claimed that rising lake waters had destroyed their crops. However, district authorities blamed the problem on encroachment near the lake shores.

Speaking during the launch, the Rukungiri Resident District Commissioner, Bron Kikanshemeza, said no activities should be carried out within 100 meters from the lake. He urged residents to respect environmental laws and stop encroaching on protected areas.

Kikanshemeza noted that although residents complained about the lake affecting their crops, many had illegally settled and cultivated near the lake shores.

The Rukungiri Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, Hillary Agaba, together with the outgoing District LCV Chairperson, Geoffrey Kyomukama, said Rukungiri District has only three lakes that is Lake Edward, Lake Kimbungu and Lake Garubunda which must be protected for future generations.

They emphasized that the government is not taking people’s land but protecting the environment and promoting tourism around the lakes, which they said will increase land value and improve livelihoods.

The District Natural Resources Officer, Robert Mwerera Locus, and the Senior Environmental Officer, Caroline Mbabazi, explained that the National Environment Act requires all lakes in Uganda to have protected buffer zones.

Mwerera said the demarcation will help protect lake shores from degradation, prevent landslides, and maintain clean water for domestic use, animals and other community needs.

Mbabazi added that only activities such as non-commercial fishing, beekeeping and animal rearing will be allowed within the demarcated area, while any development projects must first be approved by district authorities.