Govt defends charcoal ban to protect forests
The Ugandan government is enforcing a ban on charcoal burning and clearing forest reserves to combat climate change and environmental degradation. Officials are calling for the cancellation of illegal land titles and the arrest of those destroying protected natural areas.
Why it matters
This highlights the tension between local economic survival through charcoal production and the urgent need for national environmental conservation.
Casual labourers load bags of charcoal on a truck at the Kabaraga charcoal market on Kabaraga Hill in Kabale District on August 9, 2025. PHOTO/ROBERT MUHEREZA
The Minister of ICT and National Guidance, Ms Justine Kasule Lumumba, has defended the government’s restrictions on charcoal burning, saying the measures were introduced as a presidential directive to protect forests and wetlands and address the effects of climate change.
Speaking at the Uganda Media Centre yesterday, Ms Lumumba said the decision was part of broader efforts to restore the country’s natural environment, warning that the destruction of forests and wetlands was contributing to climate-related challenges affecting farmers and other communities.
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