Bobi Wine vows to restore Zoka Forest, expand youth skills training
Zoka Forest Reserve is a critical yet threatened tropical forest in Uganda’s Adjumani district. It is vital for biodiversity and local livelihoods but faces severe degradation from illegal logging, charcoal burning and encroachment, despite conservation efforts by organisations such as Friends of Zoka and various government interventions
ADJUMANI, December 8, 2025 — The National Unity Platform [NUP] presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, widely known as Bobi Wine, has pledged to prioritise the restoration of the Zoka Central Forest Reserve in Adjumani district if he is elected the next President of Uganda.
“When I talk about Zoka Forest, the people of Adjumani know exactly what I mean. In the new Uganda, we want to empower the sons and daughters of the soil. They will not destroy the environment. We shall restore Zoka Forest to its original form,” Kyagulanyu said days ago while addressing a large crowd attending his campaign rally at the Cesia Primary School playground.
He further alleged that security forces deployed in the forest have contributed to, rather than prevented, the destruction of the forest.
Zoka Forest Reserve is a critical yet threatened tropical forest in Uganda’s Adjumani district. It is vital for biodiversity and local livelihoods but faces severe degradation from illegal logging, charcoal burning and encroachment, despite conservation efforts by organisations such as Friends of Zoka and various government interventions.
The forest provides water, sustenance and cultural value, but ongoing illegal activities, along with accusations of involvement by some authorities, have resulted in deforestation, climate impacts and conflict, prompting investigations and arrests.
Several residents at the political rally welcomed Kyagulanyi’s pledges but urged him to remain accountable. Atidri, from Zoka, said corruption is deeply entrenched at both national and local levels and called on Kyagulanyi to “walk his talk” if he becomes president.
A young resident who identified himself only as Raster voiced concerns over rising unemployment: “We youths have no jobs; many of us are not educated. How are you going to help us?”
Zadiman Tondali from Adjumani Town criticised the implementation of the Parish Development Model [PDM], saying it has created divisions within families and offers only temporary relief. He urged Kyagulanyi to replace cash handouts with long-term investments such as modern agricultural machinery.
Kyagulanyi echoed these concerns, describing the PDM’s trillion-shilling budget as a campaign gimmick designed to keep citizens dependent.
“For those who have received the money, good for you,” he said. “But in the new Uganda, you will not have to give it back. We want to give hands up, not handouts.”
He pledged that an NUP government would prioritise youth skilling programmes to improve employability. In the short term, he promised to bring skills training closer to communities, and in the long term to invest in cottage industries to create sustainable jobs.
“We know our young people are unemployed and, in many cases, unemployable,” he said. “We must change that.”
The rally concluded with residents expressing both hope and caution, urging the NUP leader to deliver on his promises should he succeed in unseating incumbent President Yoweri Museveni of the ruling National Resistance Movement [NRM], who is also campaigning to retain the presidency come January 15, 2026 when Ugandan voters are expected to choose the next president and several other leaders.
https://thecooperator.news/nandala-pledges-to-allocate-10-percent-of-national-budget-to-agriculture/
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