Earlier this month, the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) together with the Ministry of Water and Environment embarked on a campaign to restore River Rwizi from drying up due to human encroachment.
According to NEMA guidelines, any human activity should be done in a distance of 100 meters away from the river, but this is not the case in the areas of Mbarara Municipality where river Rwizi passes.
In places like Kiswahili, Taso village and Kashanyarazi there are some students’ hostels/rentals built near the river. Students who reside in these hostels are from Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) and University of St Joseph.
According to a one Hanington (resident in Kiswahili cell), last year officials sighted the above mentioned places and they told them the dangers of staying close to the river and the residents were requested to vacate the place, however they claim that the land was given to them by their ancestors and there are no reasons for them to vacate it like that.
This means that over 100 MUST students who stay in those hostels that are close to Rwizi will have to shift to other shelters if NEMA is to start practicing what it said.
The price of hostels in the above mentioned places ranges between 400,000/= to 600,000/= which makes them affordable to every student and on top that they are close to the University.
