KAGADI District– In a crackdown on environmental crime, eight individuals have been arrested for illegally clearing forest land for cultivation in the Kagombe Central Forest Reserve (CFR), situated in Uganda’s vital Albertine Rift region.
The suspects — including Muhumuza Noman and Mulenzi Flora, among others — were caught red-handed and are currently detained in Kampala, with cases registered under KB CRB 279/2025 and 280/2025.
Officials from the National Forestry Authority (NFA), including Boaz Basigirenda and Aldon Walukamba, hailed the arrests as a step forward in combating deforestation. Kagombe CFR has suffered severe degradation, with 80% of its 17,751 hectares degraded by 2017 due to illegal activities.
The accused are likely to face charges under Uganda’s National Forestry and Tree Planting Act, as authorities continue investigations.
