A protracted land dispute between communities in Orom Sub-county, Kitgum district and Kidepo Valley National Park is delaying a ten-billion-shillings Shs10 plan by the government plan to erect an electric fence to stop elephants from invading communities. Authorities say they already have two billion shillings ready to commence the work as planned.
The dispute centres on about 956 square kilometres of land in Orom that community leaders and locals say was unlawfully gazetted as part of Karenga Conservation area. The disputed area, which was allegedly allocated to UWA in 2002 by authorities in the then Kotido District, which at the time included the area that later became Karenga district.
President Yoweri Museveni directed the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) in April 2024 to fence off the park as a long-term measure against human-elephant conflict. The government has already begun fencing the park in neighbouring Karenga District, where about 30 kilometres of fencing has been completed. The project was expected to extend towards Kitgum but has encountered resistance over the boundary.
John Bosco Ocen, Orom Sub-county councillor V, said the district council had previously asked UWA to explain how the disputed land was acquired. He said UWA presented legal documents, but Kitgum leaders maintained that communities in Orom had not been consulted.
Ocen said affected communities had raised the matter with Members of Parliament on the parliamentary committee responsible for tourism and were awaiting a response after a meeting with the MPs last month.
According to Ocen, the boundary between Karenga, Kaabong and Kotido is at Logalat stream, and should be the landmark to guide the fencing. Despite the dispute, Ocen said residents support fencing provided it follows the original boundary and does not encroach on customary land in Tokao village, Gule Parish in Orom sub county, Kitgum district.
“The people are very positive about the fencing, but it should stop or follow the boundary line in Logalat,” Ocen said. State Minister for Northern Uganda, Beatrice Akello Akori, said the unresolved boundary dispute was slowing implementation of the project as elephants continue destroying crops that survived the prolonged drought.
Akori said the government must resolve the land dispute to allow the project to proceed. “Shs2 billion out of the Shs10 billion the President approved is now available to fence off Kidepo. But again, there is a land wrangle in Orom and the park, and Karenga and the park. That is why the process is slow,” Akori said.
She said the conflict had worsened as elephants move into communities in search of food and water after water sources and vegetation inside the park dried up. “It is a very serious issue because currently the sun is very hot and the crops that survived the drought are being cleared by elephants,” she said.
David Musingo, UWA Commissioner for Community Conservation and Ex-situ Services, said the land dispute was complex and required consultations with affected communities, Members of Parliament and other authorities before the fencing could proceed.
Musingo said UWA would not impose a fencing solution in a disputed area because doing so could create further conflict. “For us, we believe that electric fence works, but if it is not in this area, we can put it elsewhere,” he said. He said UWA was considering other measures alongside fencing, including community wildlife scouts and closer engagement with local leaders to manage elephants that stray into communities.
Kitgum Resident District Commissioner Jimmy Segawa Ebil said fencing the park remained the permanent solution to the recurring elephant invasions. He said UWA had presented its fencing plans to district leaders and the traditional leadership in Orom, but some leaders and residents had rejected the proposed location.
“We shall not tire. We shall fence off Kidepo, and that will be the permanent solution to this issue,” Ebil said. Ebil tasked the district council to adopt a common position that supports the electric fence while requiring authorities to resolve the boundary dispute and respect customary land claims before extending the project into Kitgum-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
