Sam Mwandah the ED UWA addressing residents of Agago district in Lapono sub-county over the issue of wild animals. Photo by Arnest Tumwesige
By: Arnest Tumwesige
Agago: George Odong Ochola and Margret Auma are residents of Aluma village, Kaket Parish, Lapono sub-county whose productivity was shortened this year after nearly being killed by marauding elephants.
Aged 48 and 27, the duo was attacked in January and April respectively this year while in their gardens.
Auma was attacked at around 9 am as she tried to run away from the beast. When residents discovered the elephant had passed through her garden, they were concerned about her safety.
The residents later found Auma unconscious in the garden after the encounter and took her to a hospital for treatment. To date, she doesn’t recall properly what transpired.
“Since then, I feel very weak in the chest and the left side of my body,” Auma told GNNA.
Ochola, who suffered a similar fate to Auma, still experiences severe pain in his left rib cage.
Ochola and Auma are part of the 62 residents in Lapono sub-county, whose files by early April 2024, had been handed over to Sam Mwandha the Executive Director of Uganda Wild Life Authority (UWA) for compensation.
However, due to the unclear process of registering the affected persons by the community scouts, UWA rangers, and local leaders, Richard Muhabwe the Chief Warden of Kidepo Valley Conservation Area told GNNA that files were retrieved for further scrutiny.
Muhabwe said despite that, 47 files from Adilang and Omiya Pacwa sub-countries have already been approved by the UWA vetting committee and forwarded to the board of directors for final approval.
It is estimated that over Shs100m will be spent on the 47 files as compensation by June this year.
Mwandha the ED of UWA, advised that once anyone has been affected, the matter must be reported to the local council one chairperson, and the UWA team takes it up to ensure compensation is effected as soon as possible.
Compensation targeting 2019 and above victims
While human-wildlife conflict has been ongoing for several years, compensation only targets individuals who were affected from 2019 after the amendment of the UWA Compensation Act.
The Uganda Wildlife Compensation Act of 2019 which was assented to by the President on July 1st, 2019, article 84 stipulates that compensation shall include those who suffered bodily harm, property damage, and death.
As a result, Hellen Akullu of Ajwa village, Lapyem parish in Adilang sub-county killed by an elephant in January 2017 cannot qualify for post-humus compensation.
Berna Acuma, the Adilang sub-county district councilor and secretary for health said the deceased left behind a six-month-old baby and five other children.
Acuma acknowledged that although the law was passed, there must be special consideration for such categories of people through affirmative action.
Mathew Lagen, the vice chairperson of Lapono sub-county insisted there must be an accelerated compensation plan to help the affected regain their livelihoods.
“The government has the mandate to protect people, but it has not done enough,” Lagen observed.
Col. (Rtd) Tom Butiime the Minister of Tourism, Trade and Industries, said there will be an accelerated plan to ensure that people are paid.
Beatrice Akello Akori, the Woman Member of Parliament of Agago district, said for two years, the affected people of Agago had never received any compensation.
Akori disclosed that eight sub-counties have been affected with three people reported dead and about 2,000 people having their property destroyed.
Parliament wants compensation for UWA fires
In April 2022, the Parliamentary Committee on Tourism, Trade, and Industries said there must be a further amendment to the UWA Act to incorporate dynamics in conservation areas, resulting in compensation for damages caused by fires originating from protected areas.
In a report read by Catherine Lamwaka, the Committee’s deputy chairperson, it was noted that fires are prevalent in the grasslands, savannah, and woodlands which, calls for controlled bush-burning in July to August and January to February.
