Students urged to join Leo Clubs

What the report says

Nile Post reported that students in Hoima City have been encouraged to join youth service groups such as Leo Clubs as a way to build leadership skills, support community service and take part in environmental protection. The appeal was made on Friday at Bwikya Muslim Secondary School during the launch of the school’s Leo Club, an initiative supported by the Lions Club of Hoima Albertine.

According to the report, Hoima Albertine Regional Governor Ediga Kasigwa, representing Lions Club Hoima Albertine president John Paddy Kiganu, told the newly inducted members to make tree planting a central activity. The new club has 42 members, including a 10-person leadership team. Lion Barnabas Tugume, the assistant resident city commissioner for Hoima City and service chairperson of Lions Club Hoima Albertine, said the club is intended to prepare young people for responsible leadership through voluntary work.

The environmental focus was linked to concerns about forest loss and degradation. Nile Post cited the 2024 National State of the Environment Report by the Ministry of Water and Environment and the National Environment Management Authority, which says Uganda’s forest cover has fallen from 24 percent in 1990 to roughly 12–13 percent today. The report attributes most current forest loss to smallholder agricultural expansion and unsustainable fuelwood and charcoal harvesting, and estimates annual forest loss at more than 122,000 hectares.

Bwikya Muslim Secondary School headteacher Hajji Mbuga Abdallah welcomed the club, saying it would help learners gain leadership, business and health awareness alongside conservation values. The launch included tree planting and a free medical camp offering HIV testing, diabetes and cancer screening, and blood donation. It also came ahead of a Lions Club International regional meeting scheduled in Hoima City.