The recent demolition of homes and evictions by the Uganda National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) in Kampala’s Lubigi wetlands raises serious concerns about the fairness and legality of these actions.

While protecting environmentally sensitive wetlands is a valid goal, NEMA has pursued this objective in a highly selective and unjust manner, violating the rights of ordinary citizens.

The core issue is that NEMA has allowed large corporations and businesses, including oil depots, factories, and rice farms, to establish operations in these wetland areas. Meanwhile, poorer residents who have lived in the Lubigi wetlands for over a decade have been ruthlessly evicted.

This blatant double standard cannot be justified. The law is clearly not being applied equally, with NEMA showing favoritism towards powerful corporate interests over the livelihoods of vulnerable citizens. The right to life under Uganda’s constitution encompasses the right to livelihood and shelter.

By demolishing the homes of these residents without providing adequate compensation or alternative housing, NEMA has deprived them of these fundamental rights. Many of the evicted are rural-urban migrants who moved to the city seeking employment opportunities