Residents of Saayi Village in Kisoga-Ntenjeru Town Council, Mukono District, are up in arms after Zombo District Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Robert Abenaitwe, allegedly converted 17 acres of the Zirimiti Central Forest Reserve into a guarded cannabis plantation without community consultation or transparency.
“They came with papers, guns, and promises. Now we can’t even fetch firewood,” lamented Sarah Nakimera, a local resident. “What kind of development is this?”
Abenaitwe has admitted to cultivating marijuana on the land but insists that all necessary licenses were obtained.
“We’re doing this legally, for medical purposes, under the law,” he told angry residents during a recent community meeting.
However, documents reviewed by local officials indicate the original lease was strictly for afforestation not cannabis cultivation.
Col. Edward Kakhongi of the National Forestry Authority (NFA) confirmed this, stating: “The lease was granted for tree planting. We are investigating how this switch in land use happened. It wasn’t approved.”
Beyond the legality of the cannabis operation, residents are also questioning why the land was leased to an official from another district and how the farm was established so swiftly, seemingly without oversight from key regulatory bodies such as the National Drug Authority or the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
“This smells like a cover-up,” said John Ssenfuma, a resident who claims his livestock were killed by guards stationed around the plantation. “This isn’t just about marijuana. Someone is making a lot of money, and it’s not the community.”
The presence of armed security personnel has further escalated tensions. Robinson Hudson Kiyaga, Mayor of Kisoga-Ntenjeru, condemned the militarized approach, calling it “a threat to public safety.”
While law enforcement officials claim to be investigating the matter, sources suggest that internal pressure may be slowing down the probe.
Uganda’s cannabis laws do permit medical marijuana cultivation under strict licensing conditions. However, this case has left many residents questioning whether the law is being exploited to facilitate land grabbing under the guise of health innovation.
