Elephants graze on 500 acres of maize, leaving farmers counting losses

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A herd of elephants from Kibale National Park has invaded and grazed on over 500 acres of maize fields belonging to the neighbouring community, leaving farmers in Kitswamba sub-county, Kasese district counting heavy losses.

The incident, which occurred on June 18, affected six villages: Bahinga, Rwangeya, Sikyirya Muba, Mulwaghali, Bigando and Chiyembe, according to farmers who gathered at Bigando trading centre to express their devastation.

Zephorani Nyarwasa, a widow with 10 children who took out a loan from Centenary Bank to finance her farming activities, said her entire two-acre maize garden was destroyed.

“I feel as if the whole world has turned against me,” she said, visibly distressed. With her harvest lost, she fears losing her mortgaged property to the bank.

Juliet Mbambau, a mother of five, said part of the money she invested in her 1.5-acre maize field came through the Parish Development Model initiative. With her crops destroyed, she expressed concern that she may never feel the benefit of that support.

Local leaders voice concerns

Semu Mulemba Isebahasa, chairperson of all farmers in Bigando village, said Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) officials have previously assured them of compensation, but the process remains slow and inconsistent.

“For instance, those who lost their crops over the last two seasons have never been compensated,” Mulemba said, adding the plan to engage the resident district commissioner as they seek justice.

Bigando area chairperson Isaya Munyambara echoed the farmers' frustrations, stating that elephant invasions have become a recurring problem, with no permanent solution in sight despite repeated reports to authorities.

“We have reached a level of wondering whether we are citizens of this country or not!” Munyambara said.

Agricultural officer and UWA respond

Kitswamba sub-county agricultural officer Moreen Masika said her office is constrained by low funding, limiting their ability to visit affected areas and assess the damage. She encouraged farmers to keep submitting compensation forms while awaiting UWA’s intervention.

“Food production in this area would be high, but elephants remain a very big challenge,” she noted.

Rose Mutonyi, the community conservation warden at Kibale National Park, said several reports have been submitted to UWA’s top leadership, with hopes that an electric fence will eventually be erected along the park’s open boundaries.

“But again, we started compensating most of you, and I have a list of those who have benefited two times,” Mutonyi added.