Uganda's police force has clarified that a crackdown on charcoal production and trade targets only specific regions, not the entire country. Police spokesperson ACP Kituuma Rusoke told journalists at Police Headquarters in Kampala that his earlier warnings to charcoal transporters about arrest and vehicle impoundment were meant to enforce a presidential directive in areas where restrictions apply, not announce a countrywide ban. Rusoke said his remarks had been misunderstood. "I was following a directive from the President. My issue was not about the whole of Uganda, but about the areas where the restrictions apply," he said. The enforcement focuses on charcoal originating from regions covered by the restrictions rather than all charcoal production and trade across the country.
The crackdown is based on Presidential Executive Order No. 3 of 2023, issued on May 19, 2023, which restricts charcoal burning and trade in West Nile, Northern Uganda, Karamoja and the Teso sub-region. The directive aims to address forest destruction and environmental degradation linked to charcoal production. On October 12, police announced intensified operations against illegal charcoal dealing in Northern Uganda following the seizure of consignments and arrests in Amuru and Pakwach districts.
The enforcement has raised significant concerns among households and traders who depend on charcoal for cooking and their livelihoods. In urban areas, many households rely on charcoal because alternative cooking fuels, including electricity and liquefied petroleum gas, may be too expensive or inaccessible. Rusoke highlighted a practical challenge in implementation, questioning how security agencies would distinguish charcoal imported from neighbouring South Sudan from consignments produced in Ugandan areas where the trade is prohibited. "We need to establish how someone can differentiate between charcoal coming from South Sudan and charcoal produced in Uganda," he said.
On October 14, Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oboth-Oboth directed the suspension of enforcement pending a government statement explaining the policy and the availability of alternative cooking energy sources. The directive brought the enforcement campaign into scrutiny, with questions emerging over how the restrictions would be implemented without disproportionately affecting households and businesses that depend on charcoal. The government is expected to address the policy's implementation and the provision of alternative cooking fuels as Parliament considers concerns surrounding the enforcement campaign.