Five elephants on Monday crossed into Mucwini East in Kitgum District, destroying crops in several villages and prompting a joint response by the Uganda Wildlife Authority, UPDF and police to drive the animals back towards Kidepo National Park.
Stephen Labalpiny, the Assistant Resident District Commissioner of Kitgum, said the elephants entered Mucwini East early in the morning and settled in a bush near Mugila Village before moving into a nearby garden later in the day.
Labalpiny said the elephants severely destroyed crops in the garden, which contained a mixture of crops, before wildlife officials joined UPDF and police personnel to drive them away.
“Yesterday, early in the morning, five elephants crossed and came to Mucwini East. They were stationed in Mugila Village,” Labalpiny said.
He said the elephants initially remained in the bush and were feeding there before moving to the nearby garden at about 4:30pm, where they caused extensive damage on an acre of crop garden.
According to Labalpiny, the response team managed to chase the elephants away from the garden, but the operation was complicated by the late hour and the increasingly aggressive behaviour of the animals.
He said the team stopped the operation at about 7:15pm and resumed efforts this morning, after the elephants moved to other areas.
The elephants later reached Obem Village in Layamo sub county, where they again destroyed crops before moving to nearby sub counties.
Labalpiny said the animals had subsequently moved back towards Mucwini East and were heading towards Kidepo, with wildlife officials working alongside UPDF and police to escort them back to the park.
He urged residents to avoid confronting the elephants or gathering near them while attempting to drive them away.
“I therefore ask the community to be more vigilant. They can become very wild as you make noise and shout.”
He said residents had gathered in large numbers during the operation and attempted to make noise in front of the elephants, a practice he warned could expose them to danger.
He appealed to residents working in farms around in the wilderness to remain particularly vigilant and should not attempt to approach or provoke the animals.
Labalpiny said the authorities would continue working with wildlife officials and security agencies to guide the elephants back to the park, while urging communities to immediately alert authorities whenever elephants enter populated areas.
John Bosco Ocen, the Councillor V for Orom Sub-county, expressed concern over the persistent elephant invasion of the district, and asked for expanded compensation for communities affected by persistent elephant attacks.
According to Ocen, the compensation list generated last year covered only 62 beneficiaries from Orom and Kiteng sub-counties, Namokora Town Council and Namokora North.
Ocen said eight people from Orom Sub-county had received monetary compensation, with the amount varying according to the extent and type of crop damage.
However, he said the compensation does not adequately reflect the scale of destruction caused by elephants, particularly in Gule, Longonyura and Lolua parishes.
“All the three parishes are subject to destruction by elephants,” Ocen said, urging the government to extend compensation to all affected communities.
He said Gule Parish, which comprises seven villages, has not had a single resident benefit from the compensation programme despite being a major entry point for elephants entering the community.
Ocen said the attacks have persisted for more than a decade, with communities reporting repeated destruction of gardens and loss of lives.
He said compensation should therefore cover not only destroyed crops but also families that have lost relatives to wildlife attacks.
“These people were killed innocently by wildlife. Some of the deceased left behind vulnerable orphans who need support,” Ocen said.
He said communities have been registering cases of crop destruction, but delays in the compensation process have prevented many victims from receiving assistance.
Information obtained by UWA in Marc this year indicates that the authority has received more than 2,000 compensation claims from victims of human–wildlife conflict across the country-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
