The Deputy Speaker of Parliament,Jacob Oulanyah, has asked Ugandans to devote themselves to environment protection, saying it takes only commitment.
Oulanyah said the country is already fraught with policies, laws and institutions to protect the environment, but that commitment from citizens is lacking.
“The challenge that we have in the implementation of all those environment programmes is the human being. If the laws are there, the money is there and the institutions are there, then the problem is the human being,” said Oulanyah.
He spoke at an event to launch the commencement of the annual National Students Debate Championship in Mengo Senior School, Kampala.
The annual tournament, this year themed on environment protection, will be crowned with the finals to be held at Parliament on Wednesday, 12 December 2018.
The debate is orgnaised by the National Debate Championship.
Brig Patrick Mwesigye, the Commissioner for Patriotism in the Office of the President, looked at threats to environment through security lenses.
“Protecting the environment is a patriotic duty for us all. The environment is not only a socio-economic factor but also a national security paradigm,” said Brig Mwesigye.
He drew inferences from the current Boko Haram insurgency in North African countries, which he linked to environmental degradation that stressed the environment and created pressures on the population, leading to the insurrection.
Oulanyah applauded the students for taking part in debate, saying it is a crucial life skill that will help them in navigating through challenging circumstances.
“Those of you who have voluntarily chosen to debate, you are in the right place; stick in there and the rest will be history,” he said.
“All things that matter in life are shaped by the power of persuasion…those who do not know how to persuade resort to force,” he said.
President Yoweri Museveni is expected to officiate at the final ceremonies in Parliament.