Serere Residents Mobilise to Restore Tree Cover on Independence Day

What the report says

Residents in Kyere Sub-county, Serere District, have launched a community tree-planting drive under the Green Kyere initiative to help restore declining tree cover and encourage fruit growing. According to Nile Post, the effort was tied to Uganda’s 64th Independence Day and brought together local residents, environmental advocates, community leaders and conservation partners.

The organisers said they had mobilised more than 70,000 seedlings from the National Forestry Authority, private donors and other partners. The campaign is being supported by former State Minister for Fisheries Helen Adoa, who urged communities to treat environmental protection as a shared responsibility and to start conservation efforts at household level. The report says the initiative is focused on Kyere and nearby areas where residents have become concerned about the loss of trees and changing weather patterns.

Joseph Otala Ebekulasi, described as the initiative’s chief mobiliser, said the campaign grew out of community concerns that previously green areas, including places with mango trees, had become less wooded. Organisers want households, schools and local groups to plant and protect trees, rather than leaving the work to government programmes alone.

The report adds that the Lions Club of Soroti City has already planted more than 3,000 trees in Serere District, and supporters are encouraging fruit trees such as mangoes and oranges because of their value for both conservation and food security. The longer-term impact will depend on whether the seedlings survive and are cared for over time.