Parliament’s Committee on Natural Resources has summoned city pastor Samuel Kakande over allegations of illegal sand mining in Kalungu district.
The committee, which last month made on-site visits to Lwera in Kalungu District to investigate reports of irresponsible sand mining and destruction of wetlands, established that Aqua World Uganda Ltd, a company owned by Pr Kakande of Synagogue Church of All Nations in Mulago, has been illegally mining sand in the area.
The MPs also found that the company, which was initially granted a cage fish farming permit by national environment agency NEMA in 2014, is also using the area to grow rice.
The legislators were also frustrated with Bernard Mutyaba and veteran politician Joash Mayanja Nkangi, both members of Kakande’s legal team, after they failed to give adequate information on the irregular activities on the land.
The MPs were amused after Nkangi, on being quizzed about the other directors of the company, switched from English to Luganda and named Pastor Kakande’s wife as one of the directors, but quickly said she may not be aware of its activities.
The MPs said it was pointless for the committee to engage the director and lawyer and instead resolved that Pastor Kakande appears before them on Friday to explain the matter.
MPs Kefa Kiwanuka (Kiboga East), Ms Florence Namayanja (Bukoto East), and Mr David Mutebi (Buikwe South) demanded that Kakande, being the owner of the company, should explain how his licence changed from cage fish farming to sand mining.
In March 2014, Masaka district stopped Kakande’s company from carrying out developments in a wetland in the district over lack of valid documents to conduct fish farming.
@AGENCIES
