Four-toed tracks, which signify hippo trails, are a common sight in the sub-counties of Ikumbya, Bukooma, and Bulongo in Luuka District, where hippopotamuses have ravaged a number of gardens in the area. Their giant hooves can be traced from their presumed primary habitat in Lumbuye Swamp, from where they move through to the surrounding gardens.
Available data indicate that, on average, a hippopotamus can eat between 40 and 80 kilograms of green vegetation per night. Farmers in the four villages of Bugambo in Ikumbya Sub-county, Nabitaama in Bulongo Sub-county, as well as Naigobya-Kisege A and Naiyirika villages in Bukooma Sub-county, say the hippopotamuses have destroyed their maize, beans, soybeans, among other crops that were due for harvesting.
With an average adult bull weighing between 1,600 and 3,200 kilograms and the cow ranging between 1,300 and 2,350 kilograms, farmers say the animals trample all green vegetation cover, deterring crop growth even amid the prevailing rains. The 23cm by 28cm wide toes and walking pads, which sink about two inches into firm ground, characterize hippopotamus movement. Farmers say this is creating deep gullies in their gardens.
These gullies, they say, displace newly planted seeds and further hinder plant growth, which they had planted as a timely replacement for destroyed crops. Wilson Dhikusoka, the L.C.1 chairperson of Naigobya-Kisege A village, says that previously hippopotamuses only fed on vegetation within wetlands but never advanced into the mainland. This new development, he says, is frustrating farmers and discouraging them from working in their gardens for fear of total loss.
Dhikusoka says he has so far received complaints from 22 farmers whose food crop gardens have been completely destroyed, leaving them with no hope of feeding their families in the coming seasons. He adds that, with gardens now close to homes, residents fear that the hippopotamuses could at some point run over unsuspecting people as they work in their gardens.
Fatuma Nabulezi says a hippopotamus destroyed her one-acre maize garden in a single night, leaving her stranded ever since. Nabulezi says she had expected to harvest about 10 bags of maize from the garden, which would have provided both food and a small income for her family.
She says her livelihood has been destroyed, and she is now hoping for support from well-wishers in the next season. Efrance Namulanda, another resident, says she had intercropped maize with soybeans on about two acres, but the hippopotamuses ate everything in one night.
She says the invasion was first reported in early March 2026, when over 10 acres of rice were destroyed in three nights. Namulanda says they sought help from their area agricultural extension worker, who assured them that the hippopotamuses would not advance onto the mainland.
However, after the rice gardens were destroyed and farmers abandoned them for fear of further encounters, the animals moved further inland. Dhikusoka now wants the district leadership to liaise with officials from the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) to ensure that the hippopotamuses are tracked and controlled within the shortest time possible.
He says this will help prevent the total destruction of their only source of livelihood, which depends on farming as the animals continue to raid gardens daily. Meanwhile, the Assistant Resident District Commissioner of Luuka, Rodgers Ntogona, says they receive complaints from farmers daily and are in ongoing engagements with relevant authorities to address the situation.
Ntogona says a team from UWA was dispatched to assess the situation and, after confirming the presence of hippopotamuses in the area, they promised to organize a specialized team to track them down. He has urged residents to remain calm as they await timely intervention from UWA. Hippopotamuses are semi-aquatic animals that live both in water and on land. They can run at speeds of 30–50 km/h on land, although their average movement speed is about 8 km/h, which is faster than the average human-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
