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By Obed K. Katureebe
Using a layman’s definition, impunity means freedom from punishment, penalty, or any unpleasant consequences for a wrongful, illegal, or harmful action. The word comes from the Latin word impūnitās (meaning ‘without penalty or punishment’).
It is most frequently used in the expression “with impunity“ meaning someone performs a forbidden or destructive act without fear of being stopped or disciplined (e.g. “breaking the law with impunity”). In Law and Human Rights, it describes systemic failure to bring criminals, corrupt officials, or human rights violators to justice, leaving victims without legal redress.
For the past one week, two institutions of government National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) and Uganda Railways Corporation (URC) have been engaged in the very patriotic duty of enforcing discipline among Ugandans, who have continued to blatantly break the law with impunity and occupied their gazetted land. Without a hint of shame, a section of Ugandans chose to settle in wetlands, rail and road reserves and other gazetted government properties.
According to URC spokesperson, John Sengendo, the forceful campaign that began in Kampala to reclaim the rail line land will go on across the whole country, until all those people that had encroached their railway lines land are cleared. And they are serious; there is no any form of compensation, because the encroachers arrogantly settled on the URC land, knowing full well that the land belonged to URC.
The two institutions have ferociously been demolishing houses and other structures that the lawless citizens had built in the gazetted areas belonging to the two organisations. As for NEMA, they are demolishing houses and farmlands of those that built in gazetted wetlands.
Previously NEMA was accused of applying the law selectively. It was accused of targeting mainly poor people who had built in wetlands. However, this week’s demolitions were for the rich so-called untouchables. The storeyed structures that were demolished in the Kajjansi wetland, clearly belonged to the super-rich!
Without a doubt, we must give special thanks to the two CEOs, Dr. Barirega Akankwasah of NEMA and Mr. Benon Kajuna of Uganda Railways Corporation. Much as government has also taken a firm position to forcefully clear undisciplined encroachers, one must appreciate the firmness these two CEOs have taken to enforce discipline and end nauseating impunity that has come to define most Ugandans.
When the president declared Term No Corruption and No more Sleep on the 12th of May 2026, the usual corrupt and undisciplined Ugandans thought it was empty rhetoric. They are learning rather belatedly though. Ugandans must finally learn to respect the laws of the land, especially government land.
I hope Ministry of Works and Transport follows suit in the near future. It is a shame to see people building permanent structures in the road reserves on the major highways in Uganda. The Ministry of Works and Transport took time to demarcate all highways with mark stones, but some of the arrogant and self entitled Ugandans don’t want to know that and will go ahead to erect permanent structures on the road reserves.
Similar stories abound in the forestry sector. People will trespass the forestry land with all impunity that fails human understanding. It no wonder, therefore, that Uganda loses approximately 122,000 hectares of forest cover annually. National forest cover has alarmingly dropped from 24% in 1990 to about 12.7% today, driven primarily by agricultural expansion and illegal logging. These have even a security threat to the rest of the community. They operate by jungle law and any attempt to evict them, they become violent. It will require a firm decision to get them out government forestland.
Yes, we might be facing population pressure, but the attempt to settle this issue must be well planned and not the lawless attack to the forestlands. We must preserve these forests so jealously, because of the critical role they play. Forests protect the environment by acting as major carbon sinks, housing over 80% of land biodiversity. They also regulate the global water cycle and anchor soil to prevent erosion.
The growing impunity is all over and all of us are now victims. Regrettable and disparaging idioms like Ki Uganda kinyuma have been coined to explain the laissez–faire approach to enforce the law. The true meaning is that in Uganda anyone can do anything and move on unquestioned.
The humane approach that government tends to take, while handling her citizens with the feeling of not wanting to hurt their economic progress, has been grossly abused in most ways. The sense of entitlement and impunity was hitting the roof. This explains the reason why exactly people don’t want to peacefully exit government land when they are told to leave and given ample time to relocate.
Some dare to inflict violence upon the law enforcers and quite often government agencies must bring on board personnel from the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) to reinforce Uganda Police to have successful evictions. Thankfully, all that is ending in the Term No Corruption and No Sleep. The writer works with Uganda Media Centre. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
