The National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) clarifies the status of development work at Ruparelia Group's Speke Resort Munyonyo.

The National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) has reiterated the status of continuing construction work at Ruparelia Group's Speke Resort Munyonyo, where a cutting-edge new convention center is being built.

The country's environmental authority said it approved water shore projects at Speke Resort Resort and that no encroachment or lake refilling occurred, contrary to social media allegations.

The NEMA statement comes after recordings circulated last week by radicals exaggerated that tractors and trucks on-site were elevating part of the resort area near the lake, causing a controversy among people. The video's critics accused the Ruparelia Group of intruding on the water body and NEMA of weak control.

NEMA, however, dismissed the videos being circulated in a statement via its Twitter account, saying it had approved the resort's plans to undertake works at the resort to raise, by adding more soil, its compound that was affected by an unprecedented rise in Lake Victoria water levels in 2020, to prevent future flooding.

"The Authority received information via social media about Lake Victoria deterioration surrounding Munyonyo Speke Resort, and we quickly deployed an inspection team that inspected the projects and their compliance with environmental requirements," the environmental watchdog announced on Twitter.

"As you may be aware, Uganda will host both the Non-Aligned Movement and the G-77 Conferences next year." "The complex is being elevated to avoid flooding of the gardens," it stated, adding that "the permit provided requires management to transplant grass that was taken from the same location."

The developer has been advised to ensure that no dirt is poured into the lake, that no infrastructure is built on the shoreline, and that the lakeshore be revegetated to safeguard the lake's biological integrity. NEMA (@nemaug) is the National Environment Management Authority.

NEMA, on the other hand, agreed to monitor the site work to verify compliance with authorisation, especially the integrity of Lake Victoria.

"Waterfront projects are being permitted all around the globe to encourage tourists." "This is an opportunity for Uganda to tap into the potential of the blue economy," NEMA added. "The law gives the Government permission to build projects (in the interest of public good) on public lands, such as roads, railway lines, marinas, and so on, in wetlands, provided they comply with NEMA's conditions."

Dr. Sudhir Ruparelia, chairman of the Ruparelia Group of Companies, said that they are not degrading and filling Lake Victoria, but rather safeguarding the garden, which was previously impacted by Lake Victoria's remarkable surge to a record 44 feet.

"One of the facility's distinctive features is its proximity to Lake Victoria." "It is an asset that we guard with zeal," Dr. Sudhir told the media, adding, "Ahead of the August-December rainy season, it has become necessary to upgrade and secure (against flooding) our grounds that were affected by the unprecedented rise in Lake Victoria levels that occurred between 2020 and 2022."

Rising water levels have had an impact on a number of homes along the Victoria coast and across Uganda. The Lake is claimed to have reached a depth of roughly 20 meters within Munyonyo Resort, flooding the grounds, which were formerly used to hold a variety of events such as weddings, music concerts, goat races, and many more.

As a consequence, Sudhir claims the whole resort is currently receiving substantial renovations in preparation for the 19th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and G77 Summits, which will be hosted in Kampala, Uganda, in January 2024.

Sudhir stated that the Group, through its construction firm, Meera Investments, has entered into a joint venture with the Uganda Development Corporation (UDC) to build a state-of-the-art Speke Resort Convention Centre that will not only host the NAM Summit but will also boost the country's Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) potential and competitiveness.

When completed, the facility will be the largest conference center in the area, with a capacity of 3,800 to 4,400 persons depending on seating configuration.

The facility will also have a multipurpose hall, 12 high-end conference and breakout meeting rooms, and a floating restaurant that can accommodate up to 900 people.