GENERAL SALEH DEFIES MPs

By; Francis Lubega

The Senior Presidential Advisor on Security and Defense General Caleb Akandwanaho aka Salim Sale has defied summons of the parliamentary Natural Resource committee where he was required to explain the sand mining project with Chinese companies from the water bodies.

Committee members together with their Chairperson Alex Byarugaba are biter over the Sale’s action and warned of the serious consequences to the environment and Lake Victoria with such illegal sand mining business.

The committee has now resolved to engage Ministry of Environment so that it can stop all illegal mining’s by foreigners within Lake Victoria.

Gen. Saleh, recently backed the excavation of sand from Uganda’s lakes, rivers and swamps saying the country has no choice if it’s to embrace industrialization.

This followed concerns from, various leaders and environmentalists led by Wakiso District Chairman Matia Lwanga Bwanika who accused Chinese companies of degrading the Lake Victoria while carrying out massive excavation of sand.

The same Chinese firms have been accused of degrading wetlands in Lwera on the Kampala-Masaka highway and the extracted sand is sold to construction sites in Namunkekera Rural Industrial Centre in Kapeeka town, Nakaseke District. It’s alleged that the sand is being used as raw material in making ceramic tiles.

Saleh, says that the “revenue and employment” that would be generated from industries being constructed using the sand outweigh the environmental concerns being raised.

Gen Saleh said the Chinese companies were licensed by Uganda Investment Authority, Ministry of Water and Transport and the National Environment Management Authority, among others, to engage in sand mining with a view that they would carry out the work while considering the protection of the lakes.

Mendy Yu, the Business Officer of Mango Tree, a company engaged in sand mining the Business Supervisor of Goodwill (Uganda) Ceramic Company Limited, a company being constructed under Namunkekera Rural Industrial Centre says they currently need 2,000 tons of sand to complete the construction of industries that would make ceramics.