ELEPHANT ATTACKS! Over 1500 Kitgum Victims Curse UWA Over Stalled Compensation

KITGUM: Angry residents in Kitgum have turned their guns on the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), accusing the agency of dragging its feet on compensation for victims of elephant attacks, even as the animals continue invading gardens, destroying crops and injuring residents.

The frustrated residents say they have endured years of waiting for compensation after submitting claims to UWA, with some alleging that they have received neither payments nor proper feedback on the fate of their applications.

The anger boiled over during a meeting between UWA officials, Members of Parliament and residents in Orom Sub-county on Sunday, where the authority pledged to compensate about 150 people within two weeks.

UWA Commissioner for Community Conservation David Musingo told the gathering that the authority 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.

But residents and local leaders questioned why compensation had taken so long, despite repeated submission of claims.

Charles Olweny, the Speaker of Kitgum District, said residents had submitted numerous compensation forms to UWA but were often left without copies of their documents or clear information about when they would be paid.

“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 compensation forms during the 2024/25 financial year, but only a small number had reportedly received payments.

He cited cases where residents had gone through assessment but were allegedly omitted from compensation lists.

One such case involved a woman whose property was reportedly assessed, photographed and mapped using GPS, but who allegedly remained unpaid.

As residents demanded answers over the delayed payments, the meeting also exploded into a wider battle over land allegedly incorporated into the Karenga Conservation Area.

Residents claimed that at least 15 square kilometres of their ancestral land had been included in the conservation area without adequate consultation.

Chua East MP John Calvin Okoya said the land dispute was even more urgent than the compensation issue, calling for the de-gazettement of land in Kitgum that he said had been incorporated into the Karenga Conservation Area without consulting 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 legality of an annex attached to a document defining the conservation area boundaries, arguing that it appears to extend the boundary to Orom Hills and into Agago District but is not contained in the statutory instrument approved by Parliament.

Jon Calvin Okoya, the Chua East County MP explains the boundary dispute to UWA officials

“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 the legally recognised boundaries to be properly documented and urged Parliament’s Committee on Tourism to ensure that the dispute is handled 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.

The MP further demanded a final demarcation of the conservation area to end what he described as uncertainty over the ownership and status of community land.

He said residents were willing to cooperate with UWA on conservation initiatives, including electric fencing along agreed boundaries, but accused some UWA field officers of maintaining poor relations with local communities.

Okoya also claimed that some UWA staff had tried 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?” he asked Musingo.

He urged UWA bosses to improve relations between their field officers, local leaders and residents, warning that confrontational behaviour could damage 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,” Okoya said.

Irene Ayo, a councillor representing women from Orom and Kiteng sub-counties, also accused authorities of failing to adequately consult communities over the map placing their land inside the conservation area.

Ayo questioned why residents who had returned to their farmland after years of insecurity were now facing restrictions over land they claimed belonged to their communities.

“It is the community which gave land to the government for the prison farm, which means this land belongs to us,” she said.

Facing mounting criticism, Musingo acknowledged the frustrations and said 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 disclosed that Government had proposed increasing compensation for families of people killed by wildlife from Shs20 million to Shs30 million, subject to ministerial approval.

Burial support has also been proposed to increase from Shs2 million to Shs5 million.

Beyond paying victims, UWA is considering electric fencing to stop elephants from invading community gardens and training local scouts to 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?” Musingo said.

However, he urged residents to reject violence as the Government, Parliament, local leaders and UWA seek a lasting solution to the wildlife and land conflict.

Musingo acknowledged that the land question was complicated and would require further discussions with MPs, communities and UWA.

“I have realized the issue of land is not easy here. We can handle these issues peacefully without shedding blood,” he said.

The commissioner also appealed to residents not to treat every UWA employee as hostile, promising that the authority would review its approach and strengthen cooperation with communities.

For the angry Kitgum residents, however, the immediate demand remains clear: after years of elephant attacks, crop destruction and injuries, they want their compensation claims settled without another round of delays.