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Uganda’s National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) has spoken out, clearing the air about the ongoing works at the Speke Resort Munyonyo. The environmental watch has clarified that the ongoing works by the shores of Lake Victoria have been approved and that no encroachment and or refilling of the lake has taken place.
Posting on its Twitter account, NEMA dismissed the videos being circulated on various social media platforms alleging that development works at the lake-side resort are encroaching on and degrading Lake Victoria. The Authority also clarified that it had approved the plans by the resort to undertake works at the resort to raise, by adding more soil, its compound that was affected by an unprecedented rise in Lake Victoria water levels, in 2020, to prevent any future flooding.
“The approval given required management to replant grass that was removed from the same area. However, NEMA will follow up to ensure compliance with approval, particularly maintenance of Lake Victoria integrity,” NEMA said in the statement.
“Waterfront developments are approved the world over, to attract tourism. This is a chance for Uganda to tap into the blue economy’s potential,” NEMA further said, adding: “The law gives the Government permission to build projects (in the interest of public good) on public lands e.g. roads, railway lines, marinas etc in wetlands provided they follow conditions given by NEMA.”
We are not degrading the lake, Ruparelia Group also speaks out
Relatedly, the Ruparelia Group, which owns the Speke Resort Munyonyo and Munyonyo Commonwealth Resort, has also spoken out dismissing reports that it is encroaching on the lake.
“We have not degraded Lake Victoria at all. Those reports are completely false and misguided information,” the Group Chairman, Dr. Sudhir Ruparelia told media at an impromptu on-the-spot fact-finding tour held today at the resort.
Dr. Sudhir said that the entire resort is undergoing major refurbishments in preparation for the 19th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) as well as the G77 Summits to be held in January 2024 in Kampala, Uganda.
To prepare for the two summits, the Group, through its construction firm, Meera Investments, entered into a joint venture with the Uganda Development Corporation (UDC), to construct a state-of-the-art Speke Resort Convention Centre, to not only host the NAM Summit but also boost the country’s Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions (MICE) potential and competitiveness.
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Dr. Sudhir Ruparelia told the media that as part of the larger preparations, the entire facility is also undergoing some major refurbishments and upgrades⏤ the largest since the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting hosted at the lakeside resort in 2007.
“Being adjacent to Lake Victoria is one of the unique attractions of this facility. It is an asset that we guard jealously,” Dr. Sudhir told the media, adding: “Ahead of the August-December rainy season, it has become necessary to upgrade and secure (against flooding) of our grounds that were affected by the 2020-2022 unprecedented rise in Lake Victoria levels.”
It should be remembered that a year of extraordinarily heavy rains, that started in April 2019 pushed the lake’s water level up to 13.4 metres (44 feet) by May 2020- marginally higher than the 13.41-meter mark recorded in 1964.
Over 200,000 people were displaced in the three East African countries of Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, which share the lake.
Even though the lake water levels have since receded, Uganda’s National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) and the Uganda National Meteorological Authority (UNMA) in May 2023 warned of abnormally higher levels of rain. Indeed in the same month, there was significant flooding in the Lake Victoria basin, marked but the washing away of the River Katonga bridge on the Kampala-Masaka Road.
“All these occurrences, necessitated us to raise the grounds adjacent to the lake and secure them against any possibility of flooding. This has however been done in liaison and in compliance with all the relevant environmental and municipal regulatory authorities and laws,” said Dr. Ruparelia.