Save Murchison Falls

Murchison Falls is one of the most iconic sights of Uganda ‘’The Pearl of Africa.” It is said to be the world’s most powerful waterfall as the Nile gushes through a 6 metre gorge at the river’s narrowest point in its 6,670km length. The legendary waterfall is also the historical place of the Babiito dynasty of Bunyoro Kingdom which traces its origins back to this waterfall. A hike up the falls from the bottom is probably one of the most exhilarating hikes in the world as one has views of the falls from different angles. Midway through the hike, one sees both Murchison Falls and Uhuru Falls. Words and Youtube videos simply cannot do it justice, so I would advise everyone to visit. The falls are the centerpiece of the expansive 5,072 square km Murchison Falls conservation area, Uganda’s biggest and most popular national park. The park is home to elephants, Nubian giraffes, lions, leopards, hyenas, herds of buffalo, antelopes, chimpanzees & other primates, over 450 species of birds, and a vast range of biodiversity. These unique features attract over 100,000 visitors a year and this number is growing at an annual rate of 8%. The economic benefits are in the tens of millions of dollars from the park fees, chimpanzee and hike fees and the lodge fees paid by these visitors. But, for some seemingly unfathomable reason, the Uganda government wants to dam this thunderous waterfall. Of course the argument is that we need power, but we now have more power in Uganda than we can consume. So this government’s energy projects beggar belief, especially in times like this where the environmental crisis is claiming more biodiversity by the day all over the world. Is the Uganda government ready to destroy Murchison Falls or Uhuru falls for that matter? Over the last ten years the government has built 3 dams on the Nile in Uganda. In 2010, we watched helplessly as the beautiful Bujagali falls were destroyed by a dam, and then the Karuma, Ayago and Itanda falls. In Jinja, we suffered the brunt of the effects as tourism declined after the falls disappeared. But this time round, we are not going to just sit back and watch as our heritage is destroyed. We have to secure Murchison Falls for future generations of Ugandans and the entire world. In Jinja, before the construction of the Isimba dam in 2013, we had discussions with Ministry of Energy officials about this government’s energy strategy. We advised against the construction of many dams along the river and instead proposed the government focus on one mega dam –like the Ethiopians have done –as this would have a lower environmental impact. The Uganda government’s multiple dam construction strategy is akin to the construction of numerous pit latrines all over one’s homestead/compound. Pit latrines are most useful but digging many in one’s compound creates a hazardous nuisance. No sane Ugandan builds pit latrines in their front yard. So it is wise for one to construct one deep latrine tucked away behind the house. But the government didn’t listen. Six years later, the government still hasn’t learnt this and is now back to construct yet another dam on the Nile.