Agago most wanted illegal charcoal dealer was on Monday cornered and arrested by the locals in Agago town council, Agago district for his alleged involvement in indiscriminate cutting of trees including the endangered shea nut trees for charcoal.
Mukalazi Ronald, best known by the name “Master”, was tricked to come and picked his motorcycle which was earlier on impounded before he was arrested. He was later paraded within the town council before he was handed over to the Resident district commissioner Agago Susan Akany.
According to Kasimiro Ongom, the cultural Chief of Patongo, Mukalazi has been implicated in the felling of over 10,000 shea nut trees for burning charcoal. He was then fined 2million shillings and a cow for performing cultural rituals to cleanse the district of misfortunes for the destruction of shea nut trees.
The shea nut trees, an indigenous tree species were preserved by the Acholi inhabitants for ritual purposes, medicinal values, food and body ointments.
In 2016, cultural leaders in Acholi enacted a by-law prohibiting the cutting of shea nut trees.
In 2018, the government through the Ministry of Water and Environment, in line with Section 29 (1 & 3) of the National Forestry and Tree Panting Act 2003, suspended the cutting, transportation and sale of products of Shea nut trees, following its rapid destruction
