Hundreds of people living in mid Northern Uganda, Lango and Acholi sub region are thronging at the National Forestry Authority regional office in Gulu city to purchase for themselves sacks of Charcoal which are being auctioned.
The auction which is underway in Gulu city commenced on the 3, November,2023 and is being managed by Intrepid Recovery Associates Limited.
Document seen by this publication indicates that Intrepid Recovery Associates Limited was on 6, October 2023 signed a contract with NFA to auction a total of 5,326 bags of charcoal which were seized from various checkpoints in Amuru, Pader and Gulu district at the time of its transportation to Uganda capital Kampala between June and July from illegal commercial charcoal dealers on the presidential executive order number 3 of 2023 which banned illegal production and transportation of charcoal and any other forest products from Northern Uganda.
Robert Balinda Akankwasa, the auctioneer from M/S Intrepid Recovery Associates Ltd on Monday 6 November 2023 during the press conference held at NFA regional office in Gulu city told journalist that they have already auctioned a total of about 1,000 bags of charcoal out of the available 5,326 sacks presented to them for auctioning upon formularizing themselves with guidelines from NFA during the orientation to the business site.
He noted that the quality of the charcoal has gone low due to bad weather it was exposed to for the past three month since its impoundment.
Johan Girabo, The NFA Range Manager for Aswa Region in an earlier interview said the process of acquiring the auctioneer was too long which left them with no option until when they were issued with warranty of sale by Gulu chief magistrates court which legitimates their processes of the auctioning.
According to Akankwasa, their term of contact with NFA, stipulates that they are to auction each sack at 25,000 shilling and their potential buyers are demanded to make complete payment of 100 percent before they are given their charcoal. Revealing that After auctioning, the firm is taking 3 percent of the total sales.
At the auction today a number of people who are majorly people in petty business in selling charcoal by the roadside in tin and residents of Gulu city were seen re-bagging for themselves and doing transaction for the charcoal of which majority stated that they are purchasing for their domestic uses and small scale businesses as well.
Peninah Lamunu, aged 80 residents of Lacan-kwite in Bardege-Layibi praised NFA for auctioning the charcoal at affordable price. noticing that she always struggles to get charcoal and once she gets it is always sold to her at an expensive price ranging from 35,000 to 45,000 shilling per sack.
