Namisindwa District leaders and the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) have agreed on measures to address long-running conflicts between communities living near the national park and wildlife authorities.
The agreement was reached on Wednesday during a coexistence Baraza held at Luwa Town Council, bringing together Namisindwa District leaders, UWA officials and security agencies.
Among the key resolutions was an agreement to end what residents describe as harassment and unnecessary arrests, clarify disputed park boundaries, and explore mediation to settle pending court cases between UWA and community members.
Namisindwa LC5 Chairperson Bwayo Emma said six key resolutions had been reached and called on all stakeholders to respect and implement them. Bwayo said authorities had agreed to stop unnecessary arrests and harassment of residents, while suspects would, where possible, be tried locally instead of being taken to Kampala.
He also called on UWA to clearly demarcate the boundaries of the national park, citing concerns that some wildlife authority activities had extended into community land. Bwayo further urged the two sides to pursue mediation in pending court cases as a way of finding lasting solutions and restoring peaceful relations between communities and UWA.
He pledged to follow up on the resolutions to ensure they are fully implemented. Richard Matanda, the Administrator at the UWA Mbale Regional Office, who represented the Chief Warden, acknowledged that some cases between the communities and UWA remain unresolved.
Matanda explained the importance of protecting the national park and urged residents to respect the resolutions reached during the Baraza to prevent future confrontations. He also committed UWA to working with local communities to strengthen peaceful coexistence. The conflict has partly centred on disputed boundaries between the park and community land.
According to a 2017 boundary survey report by the Attorney General, communities had encroached on about 6,746 hectares of park land, while UWA had allegedly encroached on approximately 2,000 hectares of community land. The boundary dispute and related conflicts have resulted in more than 57 cases being recorded in Namisindwa since 2001.The stakeholders said addressing the boundary question, pending cases, and relations between UWA officials and residents would be critical to achieving lasting peace between the park and neighbouring communities-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
