UGANDA: Conserve the Environment for the Future, Bishop Kibira Appealed

By Masereka Peter

Residents living in high terrain in Kasese district, Uganda have been encouraged to prioritize growing coffee and fruit tree as a measure to conserve the environment and boost household income.

In his speech at Uganda Martyrs Kakone Parish on 27^th November 2022, Bishop Kibira quoted the second encyclical of Pope Francis “Laudato Si’ ” that encouraged the general population to care for the common home and community, asking residents to conserve the environment.

The ordinary of Kasese said in the early age coffee was popularly planted in Buganda region where the ancestors from western Uganda borrowed a leaf after working as laborer the idea that improved their household income and managed to educate their children.

Bishop Kibira said he will organize a day and meet coffee farmers in Kakone Parish for capacity building training about coffee management in collaboration with Bukonzo Joint Cooperative union.

He also reminded the population that soil is as a mother to all and needs special attention and soil through conversation of the environment in planting tree and avoiding activities that will affect the environment.

Hon. Godfrey Baluku Kabyanga, the minister of state for ICT and national guidance, said people living in hilly areas above 30 degrees should re-allocate to safer places now that government has secured funds for the affected families.

Hon. Kabyanga said conservation of the environment in Kasese district has continuous challenging due to the high fertility rate, calling for migration to less populated areas in the country to create room for tree planting and other environment manage systems.

He warned residents living in swamps and other gazette areas to find they way out for government forces them to re-locate.

Kakone Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. Cosmas Baluku asked the leadership to extend services to the area decrying, poor road network, scarcity of water and lack of enough schools among others.

He encouraged residents in his parents to have water harvesting tanks and doing terracing among others as a measure of protecting soil erosion above all plant more trees.

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