The bishop of Mukono diocese, Enos Kitto Kagodo has launched the drive through which they are going to plant 50,000 fruit trees.
The diocese is going to implement this in conjunction with Sinza Hope Givers which is going to provide the tree seedlings which are to be planted in the four districts of Mukono, Buikwe, Kayunga and Buvuma.
Bp. Kagodo launched the program at the diocesan headquarters in Mukono Municipality on Thursday.
He said the drive is intended to restore the nature which has been deprived of most of its natural forests and wetlands to pave way for the construction of factories, residential and commercial buildings.
“We have decided to go with fruit trees in order to also cater for the nutrition of our Christians most especially the children who are so much malnourished today. We intend to have these trees planted on schools, churches and some health units,” he highlighted.
The bishop said instead of keeping the church land idle which have of recent been attracting land grabbers whom the church is battling with today, all the church land which is still idle is going to be covered with fruit trees.
For some institutions like schools that are lacking space, Kagodo said they are to plant the trees on their land boundaries.
Bp. Jackson Matovu, the retired bishop for Central Buganda who has also been in attendance has commended the initiative saying it is so timely.
“I am a born of Mukono district, during my childhood, we had a lot of forests which are no more. Unfortunately, the people cutting down the forests are also not sparing the fruit trees, something which is making their activities so dangerous,” Bp. Matovu says.
The retired bishop says due to the greediness of Ugandans who are longing for money, Kampala is always flooding whenever it rains, which was not the story before.
“Unfortunately, the flooding is also taking on the outskirts of Kampala like Mukono in Namanve on Kampala-Jinja highway, in Mukono town, Lwera on Masaka road and some parts of Wakiso district. It’s high time we woke up and fight for nature before it fights for itself which will end up taking some of our lives,” he said.
The Sinza Hope Givers director, Cuthbert Waira says apart from planting the trees, they are going to teach the Christians in church, the pupils and teachers in schools the advantages of planting the trees.
“We shall also highlight them on a number of disadvantages of deforestation. We also intend to start environmental clubs in schools and we shall boost those that are already in existence,” Waira said.
He added that the call for the restoration of the environment through tree planting has for over a time been highlighted by the Kabaka of Buganda, Ronald Muwenda Mutebi and of late, the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Stephen Samuel Kaziimba Mugalu.
Waira said so far, over 4000 trees have already been planted as they are targeting the rainy season.