LIRA CITY — The Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) 5 Infantry Division has distributed impounded charcoal to vulnerable households in Lira City as part of ongoing efforts to enforce President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s directive against commercial charcoal production in Northern Uganda.
The exercise, conducted at Lira barracks, was overseen by the Division Commander, Maj Gen Keith Katungi. The charcoal had been seized during a series of operations launched following the presidential Executive Order issued on 19 May 2023 in Baralegi Parish, Otuke District. The directive responded to rising concerns from local leaders over severe environmental destruction linked to large-scale charcoal burning.
According to Maj Gen Katungi, security teams have so far intercepted more than 120 trucks transporting charcoal since enforcement began. The impounded charcoal had remained at the barracks for months, prompting the Division leadership and the Resident City Commissioner (RCC) of Lira, Egole Lawrence, to release it to needy residents.
Katungi said the initiative is part of a broader national push to restore the environment. “Since 1960, more than 60 per cent of Uganda’s forest cover has been lost to charcoal burning and deforestation. This operation is meant to reverse that trend and protect the country’s future,” he said.
RCC Egole commended the UPDF for its professionalism, noting that soldiers consistently rejected bribes offered by dealers attempting to circumvent the ban. He cautioned that individuals who continue to violate the directive risk having their trucks auctioned and being prosecuted.
Authorities urged the public to join efforts to protect natural resources, warning that unchecked human activity continues to fuel environmental degradation and worsen global warming.
