Recurring disputes over the boundary of Mount Elgon National Park have prompted Parliament to order a comprehensive investigation into the long-running conflict between neighbouring communities and the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), amid renewed allegations of human rights abuses, arbitrary arrests and uncertainty over the park’s legally recognised boundary.
The conflict has persisted for decades, with competing claims over the park’s boundary repeatedly triggering confrontations between conservation authorities and residents over access to land, grazing areas and cultivation. Lawmakers say the continued uncertainty has left communities vulnerable to abuse during boundary enforcement operations.
The decision to investigate the dispute followed an emotional debate during Wednesday’s plenary sitting after Bungokho Central MP Masaba Muhamood Mutenyo raised the matter as one of national importance, saying residents of Busaano, Wanale and Budware sub-counties in Mbale District continue to suffer during enforcement exercises.
“Our people are suffering at the hands of officials who confiscate livestock, assault residents and arbitrarily detain innocent people,” Mutenyo told Parliament. He reminded the House that the dispute had previously been referred to President Yoweri Museveni, who tasked the Office of the Prime Minister with finding a lasting solution. “Since then, we have never received a report. I request the Office of the Prime Minister to formally update Parliament on the progress made,” Mutenyo said.
Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa, who presided over the sitting, noted that the dispute primarily concerns the Uganda Wildlife Authority rather than the National Forestry Authority. “I remember when I served as Government Chief Whip and visited Bungokho and Wanale. The issues raised at the time concerned UWA and not NFA,” Tayebwa said before inviting the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities to respond.
Responding on behalf of the ministry, State Minister for Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities Susan Nakawuki defended UWA’s standard operating procedures during boundary-opening exercises. “According to our Standard Operating Procedures, no one is supposed to assault another person during boundary opening. UWA conducts these exercises peacefully,” Nakawuki said.
“If anyone was assaulted, that constitutes a criminal offence which should immediately be reported to the Police so that the perpetrator is held accountable.” Her response drew an immediate challenge from Manjiya County MP John Baptist Nambeshe, who argued that communities living along the slopes of Mount Elgon have endured years of conflict with UWA. “With due respect, communities living along the slopes of Mt Elgon have battled UWA for generations,” Nambeshe said.
“We have testimonies of more than 20 people who have cumulatively lost their lives in confrontations involving armed UWA rangers. We also have cases where rogue officers allegedly extort money from residents to allow cultivation inside the park. Is the Minister to present such an incomplete picture of what communities have endured?”
While ruling that the minister was presenting the official government position, Tayebwa said Parliament had a responsibility to expose alleged misconduct by public officials. “If there are rogue elements acting outside the law, Parliament is precisely the forum where such issues should be raised so that the responsible ministry can investigate and provide redress,” he ruled.
Nakawuki pledged that the ministry would investigate all allegations. “Those remain allegations at this stage, but I will engage UWA to investigate them thoroughly. If any officers are found culpable, appropriate disciplinary action will be taken,” she said. She also revealed that President Museveni had directed the ministry to identify community leaders from the Mount Elgon area and facilitate capacity-building training in Switzerland on peaceful coexistence with wildlife and reducing human-wildlife conflict.
Nakawuki, however, said the conflict was not one-sided, arguing that some residents illegally enter protected areas to cultivate crops, graze livestock and engage in poaching. “We have rangers who have suffered permanent injuries after stepping on snares laid inside the park. There are challenges on both sides, but nothing is beyond resolution through dialogue,” she said.
Tayebwa observed that the core issue extends beyond allegations of abuse and centres on uncertainty over the legally recognised park boundary. “The ministry must conclusively establish which surveyed boundary is legally applicable,” he said. He noted that competing surveys conducted in 1962 and 1993 continue to fuel confusion among affected communities.
“The communities argue that the government should rely on the 1993 boundary survey because it reflects the realities on the ground,” Tayebwa said. “If the government insists on the 1962 boundary, even sections of present-day Mbale City would technically fall within Mount Elgon National Park. We cannot continue living in denial. Some protected area boundaries no longer correspond with present-day realities.”
Parliament subsequently directed its Committee on Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities to investigate the long-running dispute, establish the legally recognised boundary, examine allegations of abuse during enforcement operations and report back to the House to guide future government action-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
