Parliament has passed the National Forestry and Tree Planting (Amendment) Bill, 2024, as part of the ongoing government policy on rationalisation of its agencies.

The Bill aims to integrate the functions of the National Forestry Authority (NFA) into the Ministry of Water and Environment.

The Minister of State for Water and Environment (Environment), Hon. Beatrice Anywar, said that integrating the NFA into the ministry aligns with Uganda National Development Plan III, which emphasises efficiency, resource optimisation, and institutional harmony to enhance service delivery and responsible public expenditure management.

“This will eliminate duplicate roles and foster coordinated administrative arrangements, policies, and procedures for effective management and financial accountability within government agencies,” she said during the plenary session chaired by Speaker, Anita Among, on Wednesday October 23, 2024.

She highlighted the expected benefits of the NFA's integration, including improved service delivery, supervision, and monitoring of central forest reserves. She added that this change is projected to save the government about Shs3 billion in emoluments, address salary disparities, and streamline procurement processes.

The Chairperson of the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, Hon. Geoffrey Feta, reiterated the need to mainstream the NFA functions to mitigate financial drain on public resources. 

The committee indicated that the ministry has a strong structure ready to absorb over 80 percent of NFA staff. 

“The Certificate of Financial Implications from the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, estimates this integration could yield net savings of Shs22.1 billion in the Financial Year 2024/2025 and Shs26.4 billion in the Financial Year 2025/2026, as well as projected terminal benefits for NFA staff amounting to Shs4.3 billion in the same year,” he said.

The committee expressed concern over illegal land parcels within forest reserves, reporting the cancellation of 120 illegal land titles in 2019 and ongoing efforts to annul over 609 titles in Central Forest Reserves.

Members supported the rationalisation accusing the NFA of failure to address massive destruction of forest cover.

Hon. David Kabanda (NRM, Kasambya County) accused the agency of issuing dubious licenses to the detriment of the environment.

Hon. Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi (NUP, Butambala County) said that the entity oversaw the depletion of forest cover in Buganda.

However, Hon. Christine Kaaya (NUP, Kiboga District Woman Representative) presented a minority report opposing the rationalisation. She said that the NFA has significantly improved its financial performance, achieving an 83 percent increase in non-tax revenue over the past four years.

“The NFA's growth trajectory, with projected non-tax revenue of Shs20.332 billion for financial year 2024/25, demonstrates that it should not be rationalized,” she argued.

The NFA is responsible for managing 506 Central Forest Reserves (CFRs) covering approximately 1.265 million hectares, representing 26 percent of Uganda's total forest cover.

Rationalisation of Agencies and Public Expenditure (RAPEX) aims to address functional duplication and promote effective governance structures, contributing to the overarching goals of the National Development Plan III and ensuring strategic utilisation of government resources for sustainable socio-economic transformation.