Introduction
Uganda’s towns and cities are growing fast. From Kampala to Gulu, Mbale to Mbarara, new buildings rise every month. But growth without planning is a recipe for disaster. Across the country, we have seen a worrying trend: illegal construction in wetlands, road reserves, forests, and drainage channels.
These structures flood our homes, choke traffic, destroy ecosystems, and cost lives. If we want safe, sustainable urban areas, we must accept a hard truth — the Government of Uganda will need to demolish more illegal structures. And as citizens, we should support them.
The Cost of Illegal Construction
1. Flooding and loss of life: Wetlands like Lubigi, Nakivubo, and Kinawataka are natural sponges. When people backfill them and build arcades, houses, or fuel stations, rainwater has nowhere to go. The result is the deadly floods we see each rainy season. Property is destroyed, businesses close, and lives are lost. The 2022 Kampala floods that killed several people were directly linked to blocked drainage and encroached wetlands.
2. Traffic and infrastructure failure: Road reserves are left for future expansion, utility lines, and pedestrian walkways. When developers build kiosks, garages, and apartments on reserves, roads cannot be widened. Traffic jams cost Uganda over UGX 1.5 trillion annually in lost productivity. Emergency vehicles cannot pass. Water and sewer lines cannot be laid.
3. Environmental destruction: Mabira, Bugoma, and other forests, plus urban wetlands, filter our water, regulate climate, and protect biodiversity. Illegal settlements and farms turn them into wasteland. Lake Victoria’s water quality keeps dropping because wetlands that once filtered runoff are now concrete.
4. Disorder and unfairness: Law-abiding citizens follow NEMA and KCCA procedures, pay for approvals, and build in gazetted zones. Illegal developers skip this, then demand services like roads, power, and security. This rewards impunity and discourages proper planning.
Why Demolitions Are Necessary?
Demolitions are painful. Families and businesses are disrupted. But allowing illegal structures to stand is more painful in the long run.
1. Rule of law matters: A country cannot develop if laws apply only to the weak. The National Environment Act, Physical Planning Act, and Roads Act clearly prohibit construction in wetlands, forests, and road reserves. Selective enforcement breeds corruption.
2. Prevention is cheaper than disaster: Restoring Lubigi wetland after encroachment would cost billions. Removing a few illegal structures now prevents future billion-shilling flood damage and compensation claims.
3. Planning for the next 50 years: Uganda’s urban population will double by 2050. If we don’t secure reserves, drainage corridors, and green spaces now, future governments will face impossible choices. Nairobi and Kigali are already paying heavily to correct past planning mistakes.
“How Government Should Proceed: and How We Can Support”
Supporting demolitions does not mean supporting inhumanity. The process must be firm but fair:
1. Due process and notice: NEMA, KCCA, and local governments should issue clear warnings, mark illegal structures, and give reasonable time to vacate. No more surprise evictions at 3 a.m.
2. Target the real culprits: Often, powerful developers grab wetlands and sell plots to unsuspecting low-income families. Demolitions should be followed by prosecution of the original land grabbers and corrupt officials who issued fake titles.
3. Restore and protect: After demolition, wetlands must be replanted, reserves fenced, and forests restored. Otherwise, re-encroachment happens in months.
4. Provide alternatives: For poor families misled into buying wetland plots, government should work with NGOs to provide low-cost housing options. But we cannot regularize every illegality: that just encourages more.
Our Role as Citizens
1. Stop buying illegal land: If a plot is in a wetland or road reserve, it’s cheap for a reason. No title is worth your house being demolished.
2. Report encroachment early: See dumping of murram in a wetland? Call NEMA’s toll-free line 0800 144 444. Early reporting prevents investment in illegal structures.
3. Demand political will: Leaders who defend illegal construction for votes are mortgaging our children’s future. Hold them accountable.
4. Change the mindset: An organized city with green spaces, working drainage, and wide roads benefits everyone: landlords, tenants, boda riders, and market vendors alike.
Conclusion
No one enjoys seeing a building brought down. But Uganda cannot achieve Vision 2040 or a middle-income status with flooded cities, impassable roads, and dead lakes. Demolishing illegal structures in wetlands, road reserves, and forests is not destruction: it is correction. It is choosing long-term safety over short-term convenience.
The Government must act boldly, transparently, and humanely. And we, the people, must support them. Because a well-organized, sustainable Uganda benefits all of us.
Author: lubadde rahim @ 2026 publications
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