Residents of Kitgum District whose crops, property and relatives have been affected by elephant attacks have raised concern over what they describe as lengthy, costly and cumbersome procedures for accessing compensation from the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA).
The concerns come amid continued human-wildlife conflict in parts of the district, where elephants frequently stray from protected areas, destroying crops, damaging property and threatening communities.
Victims say the compensation process requires them to obtain letters from local council leaders, police reports and assessments of damaged property by wildlife officials, as well as fill out compensation forms and make repeated trips to government offices, including UWA offices in Kampala and courts.
Patrick Komakech, the LCI chairperson of Agora, said wildlife rangers initially guided victims through the process, including filling out compensation forms. “The rangers came and surveyed the areas that were destroyed using GPS and took photographs of the victims. We also went to the police, and they came and took evidence from each victim,” Komakech said.
After completing the forms, Komakech said victims were told that the rangers at the local wildlife post would forward their claims to UWA authorities in Kidepo. He said victims have not been provided with alternative channels for submitting or tracking their claims, leaving them dependent on wildlife officials to process the paperwork.
Galdino Modery Ocira, whose daughter, Natiang Rose, was killed by elephants on July 31, 2026, in Ludwa Village, Akurumor Parish, Orom East Sub-county, said he began pursuing compensation on August 6.
After submitting the compensation documents in Kampala on August 10, Ocira said he was told the claim could not proceed without a letter of administration from the court. He said court officials required him to first obtain a death certificate from the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA), publish an advertisement in a newspaper and wait two weeks before he could obtain the letter of administration.
“When I took the form to Kampala, our MP said the form was rejected by the Executive Director of UWA because I did not have a letter of administration from court,” Ocira said, adding that he spent several days travelling between his village, Kitgum and other government offices to meet the requirements.
Ocira said he paid 6,000 Shillings at a bank without being told why the payment was required, before being informed that he needed 200,000 Shillings for the letter of administration, money he could not afford. He estimates that he has spent about 500,000 Shillings on transport and accommodation while pursuing the claim, making four trips in total.
Yoweri Odida, who has received compensation, said he began pursuing his claim in 2023 after learning that Parliament had resolved to compensate victims of human-wildlife conflict. He received the payment in July 2025.
Odida said he first reported the incident to police and his local council before filling out the compensation forms. He then obtained a request letter, consulted the district agriculture officer and worked with UWA officials who assessed his losses. After submitting the required documents, he said he followed up for nearly two years before receiving compensation.
He said the requirements remain a challenge for some victims, particularly those without national identification cards and families of people killed by wildlife. Relatives of deceased victims, he added, are required to obtain letters of administration before compensation can be paid.
Alfred Okema, the LCIII chairperson of Kiteny Sub-county, said victims have also faced delays in the assessment and processing of claims, often without receiving feedback. He said wildlife officials sometimes take so long to assess damage caused by elephants that evidence of destruction is lost.
Okema said many residents have submitted compensation forms to UWA without retaining copies, making it difficult to track their claims. He added that the number of people compensated remains far below the number who have filed claims.
According to Okema, only 24 people were compensated in the 2022/2023 financial year, while in 2024/2025, just 25 of about 1,500 people who had submitted compensation forms were paid. He also cited cases where UWA officials assessed damaged property using GPS mapping and photographs, but victims have yet to receive compensation.
One such case, he said, involves an elderly woman, Elda Oyella, whose damaged property was assessed and photographed, but whose assessment records were allegedly not returned to her. “The assessment was taken with a GPS. The photo was taken, but it was never given back to that mother, and she has all the files. This is the reason why Mama has not gotten anything in terms of compensation,” Okema said.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Acaye, the LCIII chairperson of Orom Sub-county, said more than 4,300 residents in the area are still awaiting compensation for losses resulting from human-wildlife conflict.
Acaye said he has about 500 documented cases of residents who have not been compensated despite submitting claims and following up with UWA. He commended UPDF personnel for their efforts to control elephants, saying the situation had improved in some areas following their intervention.
Responding to the complaints, David Musingo, UWA Commissioner for Community Conservation and Ex-situ Services, acknowledged the challenges and pledged to expedite compensation for victims of human-wildlife conflict.
Musingo said UWA had collected about 1,000 compensation files from affected residents and was processing them for payment. He explained that between 150 and 160 victims would be compensated within two weeks, urging local leaders and residents to remain calm as UWA processes the claims.
“We have collected all your files, about 1,000. I am handling them. If people have been sleeping on jobs, this is not the time for sleeping on jobs. Whoever has been injured, whoever has been affected, you are going to get paid. Already, about 150 people are going to be paid within two weeks,” he said.
Musingo attributed some of the delays to inadequate funding. He said UWA had 2 billion Shillings for compensation last year, which was insufficient, and has since requested 3.5 billion Shillings. He appealed to Members of Parliament to support increased funding to enable UWA to compensate all eligible victims.
Musingo also announced plans to increase compensation for people killed by wildlife from 20 million to 30 million Shillings per death, subject to approval by the responsible minister. He said compassionate support for burial expenses would also increase from 2 million to 5 million Shillings-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
