The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has pledged to compensate about 150 people in Kitgum who have been injured or affected by wildlife attacks, following growing complaints over elephant invasions, crop destruction and delayed compensation. UWA Commissioner for Community Conservation David Musingo said the payments are expected to be made within two weeks.
Musingo told residents and local leaders in Orom Sub-county on Sunday that UWA had received about 1,000 compensation files from affected communities and was processing them for payment. “I want to pledge on compensation. We have collected all your files; about 1,000 are in Entebbe. I am handling them,” Musingo said.
The pledge came during a meeting between UWA officials, Members of Parliament and residents, who accused the authority of failing to respond promptly to cases involving elephants that have invaded farmland, destroyed crops and injured or killed residents. Charles Olweny, the Speaker of Kitgum District, said residents had repeatedly submitted compensation forms to UWA but often received no feedback or copies of their documents.
“Our community members have actually submitted so many forms to UWA, but their copies have not been kept for them and are actually waiting for the response from UWA,” Olweny said. Olweny said about 1,500 people filled out compensation forms during the 2024/25 financial year, but only a small number had been paid. He also cited cases where residents had completed the assessment process but were allegedly left off compensation lists, including a woman whose property had reportedly been assessed using GPS and photographed but had not received compensation.
However, the meeting was also dominated by a dispute over the status of customary land that residents say was incorporated into the Karenga Conservation Area without adequate consultation. Residents said at least 15 square kilometres of their ancestral land had been included in the conservation area. John Calvin Okoya, the Chua East Member of Parliament, said resolving the disputed conservation boundary should take precedence over compensation.
He called for the de-gazettement of land in Kitgum that he said had been incorporated into the Karenga Conservation Area without consultation with affected communities. “The most burning issue is that this green area here has been gazetted without any consultation with this community. We are requesting that they de-gazette our land from Karenga Conservation Area. That is the major issue in this meeting,” Okoya said.
Okoya also questioned the status of an annex attached to a document defining the boundaries of the conservation area, saying it appears to extend the boundary to Orom Hills and into Agago District but is not part of the statutory instrument approved by Parliament. “The attachment now brings in Orom Hills, that the boundary of Karenga Conservation Area should now move up to Orom Hills and cross into Agago and go upwards. But it is not part of the real document from Parliament, which is a statutory declaration,” he said.
He called for proper documentation of the legally recognised boundaries and urged Parliament’s Committee on Tourism to ensure the matter is resolved through a transparent and consultative process. “Kitgum should not be part of Karenga Conservation Area until maybe a process is followed where there is consultation afresh,” Okoya said.
He also called for a final demarcation of the Karenga Conservation Area to end uncertainty over the ownership and status of community land. Okoya said residents were willing to cooperate with UWA on conservation measures, including installing electric fencing along agreed boundaries, but accused some UWA officials operating in the area of having poor relations with local communities.
He claimed that some UWA staff had attempted to discourage the meeting by accusing him of inciting violence. “From yesterday, the past two days, your staff were demobilizing this meeting, saying that I was inciting violence. Now you have seen for yourself. Is there any violence you have seen, sir?” Okoya asked Musingo. He urged UWA leadership to improve relations between field officers, local leaders and residents, warning that confrontational conduct could undermine conservation efforts.
“If they want to have a soft landing, let them work together with the leaders. If they want to be bosses, let them stay in the park where you have given them offices,” he said. Irene Ayo, a councillor representing women from Orom and Kiteng sub-counties, said communities had not been consulted over the map that placed their land within the conservation area.
She said residents had returned to their farmland after years of insecurity and questioned why government institutions, including a prison farm, had subsequently been established on land that communities had given to the government. “It is the community which gave land to the government for the prison farm, which means this land belongs to us,” Ayo said. Musingo acknowledged the residents’ frustrations and said the government had increased funding for wildlife compensation.
He said UWA previously received Shs2.2 billion for compensation but had now requested Shs3.5 billion to clear outstanding claims. “Last year, we had 2.2 billion for compensation. The money was not enough. We have asked for money now, which is 3.5 billion,” Musingo said. He also said compensation for families of people killed by wildlife had been proposed to increase from Shs20 million to Shs30 million, subject to ministerial approval. Burial support, he said, had also been proposed to increase from Shs2 million to Shs5 million.
Musingo said UWA was considering electric fencing to prevent elephants from entering community farmland, alongside training local scouts to help communities respond to wildlife incursions. “For us, we believe that electric fences work. We need to train young people in this community, your local scouts. Because if an elephant comes, who’s going to manage?” he said.
Musingo urged residents to avoid violence as government works with Parliament and local leaders to address the land and wildlife conflict. He said the land question was complicated and would require further discussions involving MPs, communities and UWA. “I have realized the issue of land is not easy here. We can handle these issues peacefully without shedding blood,” Musingo said. The commissioner also appealed to residents not to treat all UWA personnel as hostile, saying the authority would review its approach and strengthen cooperation with communities-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
