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Lubigi is a
swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...
y
wetland A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...
on the northern and western outskirts of
Kampala Kampala (, ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,875,834 (2024) and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kampala, Kawempe Division, Kawempe, Makindy ...
, the capital and largest city of
Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...
.


Location

Lubigi forms an irregular semi-circle around the city of Kampala, starting at around
Kisaasi Kisaasi is a location, within the city of Kampala, Uganda. Location Kisaasi is located in Kawempe Division, in northern Kampala. It is bordered by Ntinda and Bukoto to the south, Kigoowa to the southeast, Kulambiro to the east, Komamboga to the n ...
to the north, stretching westwards, passing through
Bwaise Bwaise is a neighborhood within Kampala, Uganda's capital city, capital, and largest city. Due to lack of proper urban planning, it has grown into a commercial, industrial and residential township with poor infrastructure. The lack of developed ...
and Kawaala, then stretching southwards through
Busega Busega is a neighborhood within Kampala, the capital and largest city of Uganda. Location Busega is situated in Lubaga Division, Rubaga Division, one of the five administrative divisions of Kampala. Busega is bordered by unincorporated Wakiso ...
. The swamp has feeder arms that stretch along the
Kampala–Mityana Road The Kampala–Mityana Road is a road in the Central Region of Uganda, connecting the capital city of Kampala to the town of Mityana in Mityana District. Location The road begins in the Busega neighborhood, in Lubaga Division, northwestern Ka ...
towards
Buloba Buloba is an urban area in Wakiso District in the Central Region, Uganda, Buganda Region of Uganda. The area is primarily a middle-class residential neighborhood. Location Buloba is on the Asphalt concrete, tarmacked Kampala–Mityana Road. It i ...
, along
Kampala–Masaka Road The Kampala–Masaka Road is a road in the Central Region of Uganda, connecting the capital city of Kampala to the southwestern town of Masaka in Masaka District. The first of this road, is in the process of being developed into the Kampala� ...
towards
Kyengera Kyengera is a town in the Central Region of Uganda. It is one of the urban centers in Wakiso District. As of 2014, the town has a population of 198. Location The town is on the tarmacked, all-weather Kampala-Masaka Highway. Kyengera is approxi ...
, along
Kampala Kampala (, ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,875,834 (2024) and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kampala, Kawempe Division, Kawempe, Makindy ...
Hoima Hoima is the second capital of Uganda. It is the main municipal, administrative, and commercial center of Hoima District. It is also the location of the palace of the Omukama of Bunyoro. Location Hoima is located approximately northwest of K ...
Road towards
Nansana Nansana is a town in the Central Region of Uganda. It is located in the Wakiso District and is one of the five municipalities in the district. Nansana is a municipal council comprising four Divisions; Nansana Division, Nabweru Division, Gombe D ...
and along ''Sentema Road'' that stretches from Mengo to Sentema. The
Kampala Northern Bypass Highway The Kampala Northern Bypass Highway, often referred to as the Northern Bypass, is a road in Uganda. It forms a semicircle across the northern suburbs of Kampala, Uganda's capital city, capital and largest city. The road was constructed to reliev ...
is built in the wetland for more than half of its length. The
Bwaise Bwaise is a neighborhood within Kampala, Uganda's capital city, capital, and largest city. Due to lack of proper urban planning, it has grown into a commercial, industrial and residential township with poor infrastructure. The lack of developed ...
slum A slum is a highly populated Urban area, urban residential area consisting of densely packed housing units of weak build quality and often associated with poverty. The infrastructure in slums is often deteriorated or incomplete, and they are p ...
is entirely built within the Lubigi wetland. The geographical coordinates of Lubigi wetland are:0°19'12.0"N, 32°31'12.0"E (Latitude:0°19'12.0"N; Longitude:32°31'12.0"E).


Overview

Lubigi wetland is a very important water catchment area, serving the city of Kampala and the surrounding areas of
Wakiso District Wakiso District is a Districts of Uganda, district in the Central Region, Uganda, Central Region of Uganda that partly encircles Kampala, Uganda's capital city. The town of Wakiso is the site of the district headquarters. Kira Town, Kira, the count ...
. Rain water from the northern and western suburbs of the city drains, via underground aquifers and surface run-off, into the swamp, where it supports unique wildlife, including over 200 species of birds, one of which is the crested crane, the
national bird This is a list of national birds, including official birds of overseas territories and other states described as nations. Most species in the list are officially designated. Some species hold only an "unofficial" status. The column is marked a ...
. The predominant flora is papyrus grass. To the north, around Kisaasi and
Ntinda Ntinda is a location in northeastern Kampala, the capital city of Uganda. Location Ntinda lies in Nakawa Division, one of the five administrative divisions of Kampala. It is bordered by Kyambogo to the east, Nakawa to the south, Naguru to the we ...
, the wetland connects with the tributaries of Nakivubo Channel, another wetland that drains into
Lake Victoria Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. With a surface area of approximately , Lake Victoria is Africa's largest lake by area, the world's largest tropics, tropical lake, and the world's second-largest fresh water lake by surface are ...
, southwest of Port Bell. To the south, around Busega, some of the water in the wetland drains southeast into Lake Victoria, while the rest flows northwest, along the
Kampala–Mityana Road The Kampala–Mityana Road is a road in the Central Region of Uganda, connecting the capital city of Kampala to the town of Mityana in Mityana District. Location The road begins in the Busega neighborhood, in Lubaga Division, northwestern Ka ...
towards
Buloba Buloba is an urban area in Wakiso District in the Central Region, Uganda, Buganda Region of Uganda. The area is primarily a middle-class residential neighborhood. Location Buloba is on the Asphalt concrete, tarmacked Kampala–Mityana Road. It i ...
. West of Buloba, the flow turns northwards as a tributary of the River Mayanja, which forms part of
Lake Kyoga Lake Kyoga or Lake Kioga (literally 'the place of bathing' in Runyoro language) is a large shallow lake in Uganda, about in area and at an elevation of 1,033 metres. The Victoria Nile flows through the lake on its way from Lake Victoria to Lake ...
drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...
.


Recent developments

In recent years, the wetland has come under severe strain from human encroachment. The government of Uganda has constructed three major projects in the wetland, contributing to its degradation: * The Kampala Northern Bypass Highway, opened in 2009, was constructed through the wetland. * The high tension electric cables carrying power from the Kawanda substation to the Mutundwe substation pass through Lubigi. This 132 kilovolt power line was commissioned in 2012. * The
National Water and Sewerage Corporation The National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) is a water supply and sanitation company in Uganda. It is wholly owned by the government of Uganda. As of October 2023, the company supplied of potable water daily to the country. This compar ...
has constructed a sewage treatment plant in the middle of the wetland.


Restoration

In March 2016, staff from Uganda's National Environment Management Authority began to forcibly remove gardens planted by encroachers with maize, cassava yam, banana, and sugarcane. During the month of June 2024, many people have been rendered homeless and jobless due to demolition of homes, shops by the Uganda National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) in Lubigi wetlands. Hence the right to livelihood and shelter of the affected residents has been infringed on. Due to these forceful evictions, some of the legislators have come out to question NEMA about this kind of act.


See also

*
Kampala Capital City Authority Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) is the legal entity, established by the Parliament of Uganda, Ugandan Parliament, that is responsible for the operations of the capital city of Kampala in Uganda. It replaced the Kampala City Council (KCC). ...


References


External links


The forgotten golden value of wetlands in Kampala
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lubigi Lubigi Geography of Kampala Wakiso District Wetlands of Uganda