JUST IN: NFA Starts Evicting Over 300 Households from Soroti City Forest Reserve in Massive Environmental Crackdown

The National Forestry Authority (NFA) has launched a forceful eviction of over 300 households illegally settled in the Soroti Central Forest Reserve.

The eviction is aimed at reclaiming government forest land and restore ecological balance in Soroti City.

Led by Soroti Area Forest Supervisor Abigaba Nazzifa and NFA Teso Sub-region Sector Manager Joseph Otim, the eviction operation kicked off this week, targeting the Prison Spring Block, one of the nine critical forest blocks under threat from rampant human encroachment.

The operation follows years of failed negotiations and repeated warnings to illegal settlers who, according to NFA officials, have not only refused to vacate but have actively sabotaged reforestation efforts.

“We gave these people two weeks to vacate. Some complied, but many others refused to go,” said Abigaba. “Worse still, they destroyed trees planted by licensed private tree farmers. Over 5,000 seedlings were uprooted or cut down.”

The area under dispute lies near the city center and is part of a planned “green belt” intended to enhance urban aesthetics and environmental health as Soroti pushes toward a green city agenda.

Instead of nurturing this vision, Abigaba noted, illegal occupants have leveled forested sections and replaced them with semi-permanent and permanent residential structures.

“This land was allocated to tree farmers for ecological purposes,” she continued. “Instead of cooperating, the encroachers uprooted seedlings and cut down even mature trees. We were left with no option but to remove them.”

According to NFA’s Teso Region Sector Manager Joseph Otim, the eviction is the culmination of a process that began five years ago, back when Soroti was still a municipality.

Authorities began engagements with the encroachers, offering them opportunities to vacate voluntarily.

However, many resisted the directives, choosing instead to build homes and even establish businesses within the protected forest reserve.

“This forest was gazetted in 1948. No one is allowed to build or settle in a central forest reserve without authorization from the NFA,” said Otim. “Constructing structures in a forest reserve is not only illegal, but also punishable by up to six years in prison.”

He further revealed that formal eviction notices were issued earlier this year in February and again last week, offering final chances for illegal settlers to leave peacefully.

The ongoing exercise has already seen significant numbers voluntarily vacating, but enforcement was necessary for the “stubborn” few who remained.

“Today we solved a perennial issue in the Prison Spring Block. But this is only one of the nine forest blocks under threat. We are committed to recovering all of them,” Otim emphasized.

The eviction is part of a broader campaign to restore Soroti’s central forest reserves and bolster the city’s environmental resilience.

The NFA, with backing from the central government, aims to reclaim and replant forests in blocks including Gweri, Madera, Lale, and Prison Spring.

“The President and the Government are fully committed to environmental matters,” Otim said.

“All gazetted forest reserves will be restored. The next target is likely Gweri Block, where we already opened the boundaries last year.”

Otim also warned residents who may still be occupying forested areas to vacate before enforcement teams reach their locations.

He noted that the process is both legal and inevitable.

“Forests are for trees, not for people. Let everyone know: the law is clear, and it is being enforced.”

Local leaders have expressed both support and concern over the manner in which land was acquired by some of the evictees.

According to Paul Richard Osele, the Defense Secretary of Cell A6 in Kamswahili Ward, the transactions were mostly private deals between individuals during the municipal administration era conducted without the involvement or knowledge of local council leaders.

“This land was sold by individuals without LCI knowledge or consent,” Osele said. “When we got to know, we tried to warn the buyers that it was NFA land. Unfortunately, they didn’t listen.”

Sam Emuron, the LCI chairperson of Cell A6, added that some settlers were blatantly destructive.

“They uprooted the young trees and even cut down mature ones,” he said. “It’s regrettable. We had warned them, but they refused to listen.”

Emuron called on city authorities to demarcate the forest land more clearly, particularly by opening a long-proposed road connecting Professor Otim’s residence to the SHOA Institute of Catering.

“If the road is constructed, it will mark a clear boundary between public land and private settlements. It will prevent future misunderstandings,” he suggested.

Among the affected residents, reactions were mixed.

Some claimed ignorance of the land’s legal status, insisting they had bought plots in good faith.

Others acknowledged that they were warned but chose to take the risk anyway, citing a lack of affordable land in Soroti City.

One resident, who requested anonymity, admitted: “We were told it was forest land, but we had nowhere else to go. Now everything we built is gone.”

Another blamed the lack of enforcement during earlier stages of encroachment. “If this land was really protected, why did the government wait five years to act?”

Replanting efforts are set to begin immediately, and private tree farmers have been encouraged to resume operations under tighter surveillance and support.

“We must restore what was lost. This is not just about trees, it’s about protecting the city’s future,” said Abigaba.

A coordinated effort between security agencies, community leaders, and government departments is expected to continue as the green city initiative gains momentum.