As we reflect on the National Environment Management Authority’s (NEMA) journey since 1995, we take pride in our mandate to regulate, monitor, supervise, and coordinate all environmental activities, ensuring the sustainable utilization of Uganda’s natural resources.

This report presents Authority’s performance in the FY 2023/2024 and highlights some achievements in relation to implementation of the 5-year strategic plan (2020/21-2024/25), aligned with the National Development Framework, water and environment sector goals, and environment and natural resources performance indicators. It showcases our key interventions, results, and stakeholder engagement, reinforcing our commitment to transparency and accountability.

The reporting period, FY2023/24, was remarkable, marked by one of the highest budgets in recent years. Over the four fiscal years from 2020/2021 to 2023/2024, the allocated budget experienced significant fluctuations. In FY2020/2021, the budget stood at UGX25.56 billion, followed by a sharp decline to UGX17.88 billion in FY2021/2022. The budget slightly increased to UGX18.94 billion in FY2022/2023, before a substantial rise in FY2023/2024, reaching UGX42.29 billion.

A major milestone during this period was the successful rollout of our automated Environment Licensing Management and Information System (ELMIS) on March 1st, 2024. Currently, two modules – ESIA and Practitioners – are operational, with updates underway to include Compliance, Environment Audits, Permits, Licenses, and Feedback. This system has improved operational efficiency and moved many processes online. To ensure its effective use, training sessions were conducted for 70 NEMA staff, 40 lead agencies, and 170 environment practitioners.

In collaboration with stakeholders such as the Ministry of Water and Environment, Uganda National Roads Authority, and Kampala Capital City Authority, we initiated phase one of the restoration efforts aimed at recovering 1,526 hectares of the degraded Lubigi wetland system. Restoration efforts focused on areas such as Kyengera, Nansana, Busega, and Sentema Road. Additionally, 100 environment inspectors were trained in accordance with Section 127 of the National Environment Act, Cap. 181, to strengthen our enforcement capabilities.

I extend my sincere gratitude to all stakeholders, including government ministries, departments and agencies, local governments, international agencies, civil society, and the private sector, for their unwavering support in promoting environmental sustainability.

I also thank the NEMA Board of Directors for their strategic guidance and our dedicated staff for their tireless efforts. The Board’s oversight has ensured sound corporate governance and exceptional organizational performance, particularly in restructuring and operationalizing our new organizational structure.

This report is a testament to our collective efforts in environmental management. I invite you to read on and learn more about the progress we have made together towards sustainable development.