KAMPALA— When 23-year-old environmental activist Wandukwa Merida took to the streets of Kampala with a group of fellow demonstrators, she was carrying more than a placard—she was carrying the weight of an entire ecosystem on her shoulders. On Tuesday, June 10, Merida is expected back in court after being charged with common nuisance, following her arrest during a peaceful protest against the degradation of Lwera Wetland.
The demonstration was held in front of the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) headquarters, where Wandukwa and 13 others demanded immediate government action to halt sand mining and rice cultivation in the Lwera wetland area. These activities, they say, are wreaking havoc on both the environment and community livelihoods in Kalungu and Mpigi Districts.
Wandukwa was arrested and detained at Central Police Station (CPS) Kampala before being arraigned at the Grade 1 Magistrate’s Court, where Magistrate Jalia Basajjabalaba remanded her to prison pending trial. The charge falls under the Traffic and Road Safety Act, often used to penalize public demonstrations. The move has sparked outrage among environmental activists and community members.
“She stood for the truth. Now she’s behind bars while those destroying our wetlands walk free,” said one court attendee, who asked not to be named due to safety concerns.
The protest was more than a spontaneous demonstration; it was the culmination of a growing grassroots campaign known as Save Lwera Wetland, spearheaded by the Biodiversity and Food Security Foundation, a community-based organization working alongside affected residents. Demonstrators delivered a petition to NEMA, detailing environmental abuses by both foreign and local investors, including Chinese rice farmers and sand miners, whom they accuse of operating with impunity.
At the heart of the protest is the Lwera wetland, a critical natural resource that stretches across approximately 1,000 hectares along the Masaka Highway. Known for its vital role in water filtration, flood absorption, and biodiversity preservation, the wetland is now at risk, according to residents.
“The chemicals used in rice farming are poisoning our water,” said a resident from Kamuwunga, one of the communities most affected by the degradation. “We’re losing fish. Children are falling sick. Sand pits are turning our homes into flood zones.”
Locals also point to Kamuwunga Primary School, where students have been displaced by rising water levels and erosion caused by nearby sand mining activities. These impacts, they argue, are not just environmental—they are educational, economic, and social.
In their petition, community members laid out urgent demands: a total halt to sand mining and rice farming in the wetland, the revocation of illegally issued land titles, the closure of open sand pits, and full enforcement of Uganda’s environmental protection laws. They also called for collaborative action among government agencies, civil society, and local leadership to restore and protect the Lwera ecosystem.
The community’s concerns are not without precedent. In 2019, President Yoweri Museveni issued a directive banning rice cultivation in wetlands across the country. But residents say that enforcement of this directive has been virtually non-existent.
“This is not just about protecting trees or water,” said one of the campaign leaders. “It’s about protecting lives. What’s happening in Lwera is a slow, deliberate erasure of our future, and the government is watching it happen.”
The detention of Wandukwa Merida has amplified these frustrations. Environmental and human rights organizations have condemned her arrest, calling it an attempt to silence lawful dissent. They argue that peaceful protest is a constitutional right—and that the state should be acting against environmental offenders, not those demanding justice.
Meanwhile, support for the Save Lwera Wetland campaign is growing. The case has become a lightning rod for a broader movement across Uganda, as communities elsewhere also face the consequences of unchecked environmental exploitation.
As Wandukwa awaits her next court appearance, her arrest is being seen not as a setback, but as a rallying cry.
“If standing up for clean water, safe homes, and protected wetlands is a crime,” said one protester, “then we are all guilty.”