Local leaders in Buliisa district have called on the Government to expedite the process of installing an electric fence on the borders of Murchison Falls National Park.

The installation, according to the leaders, will ensure the reduction of continued attacks by elephants that cross from the national park. 

The call follows several attacks on humans and gardens by wild animals, especially elephants and buffaloes that have sometimes resulted in loss of lives and livelihood in the affected areas.

The affected villages, include Kaborwa, Kamandindi, Gotyech, Pandiga, Ajiigo, muvulenunda, Bugana, Waiga and Avogera. The sub-counties of Butiaba, Buliisa Ngwedu and Biiso and Buliisa town council all share a common border with the parks.

An elephant crossing the roads in Buliisa district recently

The affected residents in these areas contend that their area is always raided by wild animals which destroy their crops and cause injuries to the community members.

Waiga Village LC1 Chairperson Charles Ukumu on Monday said they have lost over five people in the space of one year as a result of attacks by elephants.

According to him, in February 2022 a 15-year-old, Abudu from Waiga 2 Primary School and a resident of Waiga village, was attacked and killed by stray elephants as he was heading home from school.

He added that in February of this year, a 67-year-old man, Mooogo Ungyiera, was also killed by an elephant which attacked him while weeding his crops.

One of the farmers showing one of his gardens which were destroyed by an elephant

Latest victim of elephant attack

According to Ukumu, the latest incident happened last week after an Elephant attacked and killed Janet Bero Pamungu, 42.

Pamungu, a mother of seven, met her death after she allegedly went with her two children to a nearby bush in Waiga to collect firewood, it is alleged that when they arrived in the bush, a herd of elephants appeared to attack them.

When they fled, one of the elephants chased after them and trampled her causing her death.

 Ukumu blamed these attacks on the Government's failure to erect the electric boundary between the park and the rest of the land.

Beehives have failed

He noted that all remedies which were put in place such as bee hives by the Government and Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) to safeguard the communities have not yielded positive results.

 He challenged the Government to expedite the process of erecting electricity to the fences adding that the community is fed up with the attacks adding that soon, they may turn against the elephants and kill them.

Cause of conflict

Innocent Wako, a ranger from Murchison Falls Education Centre, said the human and wildlife conflicts area escalated after the government de-gazetted some sections of the game park to allow human settlement.

He, however, advised the local communities to avoid walking at night and to stop sneaking into the park to poach and collect firewood among other reasons.

Richard Oyirwoth, the field officer of Tasha Research Institute Africa, said last year, they petitioned UWA demanding intervention into the rampant invasion of elephants and buffaloes into the community area but to date, nothing has been done.

Plans in place

Wilson Kagoro, an official from UWA attached to the Murchison Falls National Park Conservation area, said plans are underway to install electric fences in the major human-wildlife conflict hotspots.

Kagoro disclosed that the erection of the fence is expected to kick off next month from River Nile in Ngwedo through Buliisa sub-county and stop at Waiga swamp, an estimated 20km in Buliisa district.

He adds that they will also install 20, 30 and 31-kilometre electric fences in Masindi, Kiryandongo and Nwoya districts respectively.

This says this will help to minimise the continuous wildlife-human conflict in the park borders with communities