National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), the Ministry of Water and Environment and Mbarara City Local Government have launched a campaign to clear harmful activities from River Rwizi and its banks, to protect the water that keeps Western Uganda’s farms productive.
Green Harvest Journal had a chat with Wilbert Ikilai, Assistant Commissioner for Environment Education and Advocacy – NEMA who emphasised that enforcement runs from October 2026 to June 2027.
After community meetings, NEMA will map those working in the gazetted area and issue stop or restoration orders, with enforcement for those who do not comply.
For farmers, the stakes are high. River Rwizi supplies water for crops and livestock across 12 to 14 districts in western and southwestern Uganda, and feeds the agro-processors and agro-entrepreneurs who depend on those harvests.
Western Uganda is known as the country’s “food basket,” but sand mining, brick making, poor garbage disposal, grazing and crop farming on the riverbanks, and wastewater pollution are weakening the river. Many now say it is dying, which puts farm water, soils and yields at risk.
Earlier campaigns have helped but have not reversed the decline. From 5 to 8 October 2026, NEMA held awareness meetings in heavily encroached areas around Katete Bridge and Kasanyarazi in Mbarara.
Residents are being asked to move harmful activities back from the river and plant protective vegetation, such as bamboo, along the buffer zones. The campaign will extend to Sheema, Buhweju, Rwampara, Kiruhura and Lyantonde.
A restored river means a steadier water supply, protected soils, safer water for crops and animals, and a more reliable harvest for the farmers who feed the nation.
Read the full story: https://greenharvestjournal.org/2026/10/16/nema-moves-to-save-river-rwizi-the-lifeline-of-ugandas-food-basket/
