Human-wildlife, land conflicts conquer candidates’ manifestos during Kasese nomination frenzy

As ink dried on nomination papers across Kasese District’s Multi-Purpose Hall on September 8, 2025, a reality drowned out all other campaign promises: Candidates taking part in the 2026 General Election are weaponising human-wildlife clashes and land wars as their core battle cry. 

From Railway Ward to Karusandara sub-county, aspirants seized the nomination stage to expose a district bleeding from elephant invasions, crop destruction and bloodstained land disputes, proving that in Kasese, conservation and survival are locked in mortal combat.

"UWA [Uganda Wildlife Authority] has failed us," several candidates claimed.
John Siriwayo, FDC’s Railway Ward hopeful, emerged from the nomination booth with fury in his voice: "UWA has failed to erect an electric fence on the open stretch. There’s delayed or no compensation for properties destroyed by animals. This invasion is a big frustration for communities neighbouring Queen Elizabeth National Park."

In the same vein NRM’s Karusandara Sub-County women councillor candidate Gladys Ahebwa who described apocalyptic scenes near Kibale National Park: "Elephants invade gardens, destroy crops and claim lives. Our current leaders haven’t raised their voices in councils to solve this permanently."

According to Ahebwa, Karusandara, the district’s "food basket", faces deadly clashes between cattle keepers and crop farmers, while rotting roads and exploitative farm prices compound the crisis.

Land conflict fuels mass protest

For four months, 3,500 displaced residents have camped at the Resident District Commissioner’s (RDC) offices protesting against unresolved land conflicts. Their presence loomed over every nomination speech.

Incumbent district LC5 chairperson Eliphazi Muhindi Bukombi, nominated for re-election, demanded urgent action, "The Government must address land conflicts and resettle flood victims at Muhokya IDP camp. These issues sabotage the president’s four-acre model scheme and fuel insecurity."

When conservation costs lives

While candidates pledged "improved roads" and "fair farm prices," their unified focus on wildlife and land crises exposed a disturbing truth:  Kasese's elephants trample staple crops and neighbours turn against each other over contested plots.

Siriwayo’s indictment of UWA’s inaction—"no compensation for destroyed properties"—resonated with Ahebwa’s warning that "current leaders haven’t risen their voices". Muhindi’s plea to "resettle flood victims" revealed how climate disasters compound land wars.

Efforts by the government

It is always a murky relationship between the protected areas under UWA and the communities living in the neighbourhood.  

First, the communities are being squeezed into small parcels of unproductive land as the human population keeps growing, but the wild animals in the protected areas have expansive wild lands to roam.  

In case the population capture the wildlife for food, this is called poaching. However, when wildlife crosses from the national park to people’s lands, the communities may lose the only possible harvest for a season.

This brings about conflict, which UWA describes as one of the biggest challenges for the authority.

For instance, in 2022, UWA reported responding to 6,872 out of 7,861 reported cases of human-wildlife conflicts and constructed 45.4km of electric fence. The electricity deters some of the large mammals, such as elephants from straying from the park into land owned by communities.  

Part of the growing problem that is causing the limited availability of food (pasture) for the animals that eat plants is that invasive species are taking over expansive grounds in the park.