Lake Wamala was spread out to over districts of Mubende, Mpigi, and Mityana in Central Uganda. Despite the existence of environmental laws guaranteeing the protection of lakes, rivers, and wetlands, it had emerged that the Land Registry office in Mubende had been issuing land titles covering parts of Lake Wamala. “Titles on Lake Wamala, your surveys, you can see them on the cardinal sheet that they are encroaching on Lake Wamala but they are old surveys.” Said, Albert Birungi – Mubende District Surveyor. “Are they encroaching on Lake Wamala or they are overlapping Lake Wamala?” “They are overlapping, I think I should say.” Albert Birungi the Mubende District Land Surveyor made these revelations before the Commission of Inquiry into Land matters. The Commission called for an investigation into how many titles were issued, who issued them and in who’s names they were issued. “Like to initiate the cancellation when you don’t even know the owners.” Said, Albert.

However, Birungi informed the Commission that efforts were being made to cause the cancellation of the land titles in question. “The decision which was made by NEMA, that’s why even the Environment officer came to my office.” “When was the NEMA decision made?” “About a year ago.” “You were in office?” “Yes, I was in office...” “But you said titles are about to be canceled on River Wamala?” “On River Wamala, yes, but those are also old titles which we just...” “So how will you personally ensure that we no longer from today onwards get any title in the Lake and the River?” “Now, when a survey comes and is plotted and seen that it is falling in a River or a Lake, we bounce the file, we reject the files.” It was not yet clear why titles issued were covering a water body in clear contravention of the laws of Uganda. But geological information from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources indicated that Lake Wamala contained oil deposits. There are five sedimentary basins in Uganda with prospects of crude oil deposits, these are the Albertine Graben, Hoima basin, Lake Kyoga basin, Lake Wamala basin and Kadam Moroto basin. However, to date only the Albertine graben in Western Uganda yielded viable oil deposits.