Parliament Probes Zoka Forest Destruction as Stakeholders Demand Lasting Solutions

What the report says

Members of Parliament on the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources have begun a two-day visit to Adjumani District to examine the continued damage to Zoka Central Forest Reserve, according to Nile Post. The inquiry is focused on encroachment, illegal logging, charcoal burning and what officials described as weak enforcement, all of which they say are speeding up forest loss in the reserve.

The committee, chaired by Kazo MP Dan Kimosho, met first with Friends of Zoka and then with district leaders and other stakeholders. Kimosho said the team is collecting evidence to identify the main causes of degradation, review current protection efforts and shape recommendations for Parliament. Friends of Zoka said the reserve has been badly depleted, while Adjumani District leaders blamed the situation on illegal extraction of resources, agricultural expansion, boundary disputes, weak enforcement and alleged corruption.

A memorandum presented by the district referred to a 2023 environment report that estimated 25 percent of the reserve had been degraded. It also said forest loss had risen from 530 hectares in 2015 to 1,044 hectares in 2026, largely because of subsistence farming. The district called for clearer boundary marking, stronger enforcement and better coordination between government agencies, local authorities and communities.

Officials from the Ministry of Water and Environment also pointed to practical and political challenges, including resistance to eviction, staffing shortages and coordination gaps. The inquiry was revived after Parliament restored lapsed business in July 2026. Stakeholders say they hope the exercise will lead to concrete action to protect Zoka Central Forest Reserve and reduce further loss.