By Kilenga Bondry
Kaabong prison authorities are under scrutiny for flagrantly disregarding Presidential Executive Order No. 3, which explicitly prohibits the cutting of trees and the trading of charcoal.
According to Loyoro Sub County authorities, prisoners have been cutting down logs in the sub-county on a large scale and transporting them to the prison in Kaabong town. The logs are reportedly used for baking bricks and cooking food for the inmates.
However, this practice directly contravenes the presidential executive order, which aims to protect the environment from rampant deforestation. Lokiru John Bosco, the Loyoro Sub-County LC 3 chairperson, expressed his concerns during a community Barraza organized by DADO Kaabong, a community organisation to discuss the importance of conserving the area.
He stated that the prison authorities are not only cutting down trees but are also failing to replace them by planting new ones, as required by law. This blatant disregard for environmental conservation has sparked outrage among local leaders.
Joseph Mukasa Lokut, the Kaabong district vice chairperson, criticized the prison authorities, stressing that they should set an example in environmental conservation rather than contributing to its destruction.
Ruth Lukwaam, the Kaabong assistant Resident District Commissioner-RDC, urged both sub-county and district authorities to enact by-laws and ordinances to curb the destruction of the already depleted vegetation.
Despite numerous attempts, our reporter was unable to reach the Kaabong prison authorities for comment, as their known telephone numbers were inaccessible.
