According to reports and data collected by the sub county chairperson’s office in 2020, more than 240 acres of food crops, mostly rice were destroyed by buffaloes, and 13 cows were killed by lions, a number of people lost lives in Myene sub-county, in Oyam district as a result of wildlife invasion.
This prompted locals in Oyam District, a majority in Myene sub-county to demand compensation from Uganda wildlife authority worth over 250millions of shillings over the destruction of their properties by the elephants and other wildlife species.
The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) contributed 2million shillings towards the burial expenses of a catechist of Bombay Catholic Chapel in Kamdini in Oyam district known as Boniface Omara, who was trodden by elephants on his way to his garden in Onea, Juma parish, Kamdini on Wednesday, 9th August 2019.
UWA acknowledged the tragedy, and Karuma chief warden Chemutai Wilfred said they were deeply saddened and regret the unfortunate incident, and they were doing all it takes to avoid recurrence.
Sam Ojok, a local from Acimi `B’ in Myene sub-county, near the park said the elephants have been disturbing them since 2013 to date. He added that all his crops, including; soya and maize, for the first and second season last year was destroyed by the elephants.
“We were told to send the evidence of the destruction, and a promised was made for compensation but all in vain," Ojok added.
Ojok further added that his neighbor, Jack Odyeny became lame and killed one local after being trodden by an elephant. He said concerned people were invited for several meetings about the tragedy and nothing yielded fruit.
Silvestre Omara, a game scout in Acimi parish, Myene sub-county, and victim of the destruction caused by the elephants attributed some of the challenges they are facing while executing their work. He said they are lacking some of the equipment like; torches, raincoats, gumboots among others to ease their work.
“When the elephants come, we are always on standby with torches and vuvuzela in the night (7 pm till 2 am) with sleepless nights,” Omara noted.
He said that compensation is still a long way for the properties destroyed, as he expressed his disappointment when elephants destroyed his crops causing poverty, and being unable to support his child in school.
Anthony Oringa, the Lakang sub-county chairperson III said that they have recorded cases of invasions by buffaloes and lions too in the past two years. Oringa said that in 2020, more than 240 acres of food crops, mostly rice were destroyed by buffaloes, and 13 cows were killed by lions in Lakang sub-county.
James Ogwal, the chairperson of the Myene sub-county in Oyam district said that elephants destroyed crops and the lives of people (killing) for a very long-time. He added that in May 2021 an elephant killed Can Omia Ming village chairperson in Myene parish despite the protection given by the UWA rangers upon communication to help save crops and lives.
Ogwal said when they had a meeting with the Uganda wildlife authority and wildlife conservation society; they confirmed to locals that fencing the park was underway from Kamdini, Myene to Nwoya to relieve the locals from wildlife attacks when it’s fully done.
He added that the compensation act of 2019 is not yet working because its guideline is not there, but when life is lost there is some little compensation UWA gives to meet the burial expense, of which his office is compiling lists of those whose crops and relatives died as a result of wildlife invasion are followed for compensation.
“Elephants visited Myene from Murchison Falls National Game Park in December, but their invasion is seasonal as long as there is a lack of food and water,” Omara said.
Ogwal said over 35 people are demanding to be compensated for properties lost worth over 250million shillings.
Recently when Uganda wildlife authorities had a meeting with the locals, they were advised on how to report cases on trafficking animals, burning trees for charcoal inside the park to relevant authorities, and when asked for compensation they were told they will be compensated but it’s still a long process.
James Peter Ewau, the in-charge of Karuma Wildlife Reserve said that in their long-time plan, the government is putting funds for electric fencing to control wildlife movement along Murchison falls N.P.
According to Ewau, some of the challenges facing wildlife are poaching, destruction of trees for charcoal, the outbreak of Covid –19 among others.
He added that they used to raise billions of shillings from tourism but when covid-19 broke out, they were affected as well. Our intervention has been to carry out patrols, sensitizing the public on the benefits of conservation, installation of beehives in several sports, electric fencing, and making trenches around the game parks.
He said the compensation Act 2019 law has been assented to, and there is a compensation aspect that the government is working on to see how compensation is based on assessments.
Oyam Woman MP Santa Alum Ogwang last year, 05 Mar 2020 raised a matter of National Importance in the floor of parliament saying that stray elephants from Murchison Falls National Park over 40 have invaded Kamdini Sub-County in Oyam district destroying people’s property. She stated that on Thursday morning, the elephants raided people’s gardens and homes, brutally killing a 65-year-old resident known as Richard Otim prompting her to raise concern of speedy electric fencing of the park.
In August 2021, Charles Tumwesigye, the Director of Operations, Uganda Wildlife Authority explained that locals will continue to experience invasions of elephants if the boundary lines are not demarcated and fenced.
According to Tumwesigye, understaffing and lack of finances to carry out training to facilitate or motivate the youths trained as scouts in mostly Nwoya and Oyam districts are the major setbacks.
The Uganda Wildlife Act 2017, which President Yoweri Museveni assented to on 1st July 2019, provides for the conservation and sustainable management of wildlife allowing the compensation of those injured or killed by wildlife animals.
Due to growing concerns of jeopardizing the conservation and preservation of wildlife species and their habitats, the government of Uganda has been put into action to make some amendments to the Uganda wildlife act 1996. It's believed that in the 1996 act, some laws were loose and gave leeway to people to take advantage of wildlife.
The new law comes with reforms transforming wildlife conservation in Uganda with highlights that compensation for wildlife induced damage outside protected areas will be done upon thorough findings.
Uganda has ten national game parks, twelve game parks covered by Murchison Falls National Game Park believed to be Uganda’s largest national park measuring approximately 3,500 square kilometers (1,351 square miles), and hosting more than 76 mammal species and 451 bird species.
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