Adjumani District Council passes resolution to protect Zoka Central Forest Reserve
ADJUMANI, September 2, 2026 — Adjumani District Local Council has passed a resolution calling for urgent measures to protect and restore Zoka Central Forest Reserve following reports of extensive degradation in the protected area.
The resolution comes days after the Parliamentary Committee on Environment and Natural Resources visited Zoka Central Forest Reserve and found widespread destruction linked to illegal logging, charcoal burning, farming and encroachment.
Among the measures approved by the district council is the immediate eviction of illegal encroachers from the forest reserve, as well as the reopening and clear marking of the boundaries of the degraded forest.
The council also called for stronger enforcement of laws protecting the forest and greater collaboration among government agencies and local leaders to address the continued destruction of the reserve.
Adjumani District LCV Chairperson John Anyanzo Ambayo said the level of degradation in forest reserve currently stands at about 30 per cent.
He said the district council’s resolution was intended to complement efforts by Parliament and other stakeholders to protect the forest from further destruction.
The parliamentary committee’s visit raised concerns over the presence of illegal loggers and charcoal dealers who have established makeshift camps inside the reserve. Farming activities were also reported in some parts of the forest.
District leaders said reopening and clearly marking the forest boundaries would help reduce encroachment and clarify the extent of the protected area for communities living around Zoka.
The Deputy Resident District Commissioner for Adjumani, Emmanuel Okwari, said the degradation of the forest reserve should not be blamed entirely on government institutions mandated to protect the forest, but also on individual officers who have failed to effectively carry out their responsibilities.
“For me as an RDC, I can account for what I know, what I have been part of, and what I don’t have information about,” Okwari said.
Okwari commended the district council for taking what he described as a bold decision to pass a resolution aimed at restoring the depleted forest.
The Member of Parliament for Adjumani East, James Mamawi, also welcomed the council’s resolution, saying it was in the interest of protecting the forest reserve.
He said that for the resolution to be effective, there was a need for cooperation among technocrats, elected leaders and members of the community.
“But as we pass this resolution, we need to be cognisant of our own responsibility. We should be able to ask critical questions about what we shall do; otherwise, how can the district fail to protect this forest?” Mamawi said.
Last month, the Parliamentary Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, led by its Chairperson, Dan Kimosho, visited Adjumani District to assess the extent of destruction and encroachment on the forest.
The committee is expected to present and discuss its findings on the floor of Parliament this month.
Speaking during the visit, Kimosho pledged to work closely with the Adjumani District Local Government to protect and restore Zoka Central Forest Reserve.
He questioned how the forest could have been extensively encroached upon and degraded while security forces were present and appeared to be watching the destruction take place.
Buy your copy of thecooperator magazine from one of our country-wide vending points or an e-copy on emag.thecooperator.news
