NEMA Launches Month-Long Operation to Restore Kabaka’s Lake

The Government of Uganda, through the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), has launched a month-long operation to restore Kabaka’s Lake in Kayanja Triangle Zone, Rubaga Division, Kampala City. The initiative marks the first phase of a wider plan to rehabilitate and protect Uganda’s largest man-made lake.

The operation, which commenced over the weekend, is being implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Water and Environment, the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), and the Buganda Kingdom, which has pledged its full support toward restoring the lake’s ecological and cultural value.

According to Naomi N Karekaho, the Head, Corporate Communications at NEMA, in addition to the environmental restoration, KCCA is constructing a community access road and installing larger culverts to improve water flow and accessibility around the lake.

Over the years, Kabaka’s Lake has faced extensive degradation due to human activities. Sections of the shoreline have been encroached upon, filled in, and illegally converted for construction, waste dumping, and vehicle storage. One of the most critical cases involved the backfilling of nearly one acre of land that previously acted as the lake’s natural filtration zone. The site had been turned into a truck parking yard and used to store around 600 heavy truck differential and suspension units, all of which were removed and secured during the weekend operation.

NEMA issued restoration orders to three major suspected encroachers, requiring them to reverse the degradation within 21 days. However, continued illegal activity prompted the agency to take direct enforcement action.

Karekaho says that the current restoration work involves removing backfill and re-establishing papyrus vegetation to allow the natural wetland ecosystem to regenerate. This process will help restore the lake’s ecological integrity and preserve it as both an environmental and cultural heritage site.

Upon completion of the physical restoration, NEMA and the Buganda Kingdom will roll out a community sensitisation programme to engage residents on sustainable lake management practices. Subsequent phases will include mapping additional encroachments and issuing more restoration orders under the broader Kabaka’s Lake Restoration Master Plan, jointly implemented with KCCA and the Buganda Kingdom.

In a statement, NEMA reaffirmed its commitment to enforcing environmental laws and restoring degraded ecosystems, emphasizing that safeguarding natural and cultural resources like Kabaka’s Lake is key to protecting community livelihoods and national heritage.

Under the National Environment Act, Cap. 181, wetlands and water bodies are legally protected. Activities such as unauthorised backfilling, construction, or dumping constitute environmental offences punishable by law. Restoration orders compel offenders to rehabilitate damaged areas at their own expense, and non-compliance attracts direct enforcement action, such as that now being undertaken at Kabaka’s Lake.

The restoration of Kabaka’s Lake represents a significant step toward environmental recovery, cultural preservation, and the promotion of sustainable urban ecosystems in Uganda.