Busoga Forestry Company (BFC) has been given 48 hours within they must release all the motorcycles they impounded from the locals and parked them at their offices.
The company has also been ordered to stop from carrying out operations without the involvement of the police.
The order has been issued by Mayuge Deputy RDC , Trevor Solomon Baleke during a joint meeting of the BFC officials, Local leaders and residents neighboring the forest in Bukatube held at the sub county headquarters.
“Our OC is here,” said Baleke while intruding the OC Bukatube to BFC officials and added “report all your grievances to her other than illegally holding people’s items because you feel they have offended you.”
“You cannot be the investigator, State Attorney and judge in a case where you are the complainant. I know our people sometimes make mistakes here and there but please report them to police. I don’t want to hear again that you have tortured our people,” said Baleke.
Baleke advised the BFC and the local communities neighboring the forest to value one another and coexist “because each one of you, need the other.”
The Deputy RDC made the remarks following several complaints of torture, extortion and importing of motorcycles reported by a section of residents who turned up for the meeting.
Some pinned the BFC enforcement team of carrying out illegal night operations in which they impound their motorcycles and bicycles and destruction of their food crops.
“They charge us between Shs80,000 and Shs200,000 should they find your goat grazing around the forest,” reported Jackson Basalirwa a resident of Kadaala village.
Fredrick Muwanika a resident of Buwolomera pinned BFC for torture. He cited an incident in which an elderly man was assaulted by BFC enforcement team to an extent of being unable to walk because his limbs were severely injured.
“This old man is still bedridden,” he said.
The new BFC Manager, Arthur Nanguyo apologized to the community and promised to prevail over his errant staff.
“We are very sorry. I apologize to you for all these incidents you have reported. And before the [Deputy] RDC, I promise that we are going to change,” he said.
The locals thanked the Deputy RDC for paying attention to their problems.
