Buyende residents relieved after UWA relocates two crocodiles to Entebbe
After a two-day hunt, the pair was traced on Saturday and moved to the mainland and prepared for safe relocation to Entebbe.
Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) officials prepare to relocate two crocodiles from Butooli-Namalogwe landing site in Irundu sub-county, Buyende district to Entebbe on October 24, 2026. (Credit: Tom Gwebayanga)
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The communities living near the shores of Lake Kyoga in Buyende district are relieved after the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) relocated two crocodiles believed to have mauled six people in a space of six months.
The vicious reptiles were transferred from Nkooke parish to the Uganda Wildlife Centre in Entebbe, formerly called The Zoo.
After a two-day hunt, the pair was traced on Saturday and moved to the mainland and prepared for safe relocation to Entebbe.
Between March and October this year in the greater Kagulu sub-county in Buyende, six people were mauled, and at least 15 were left disabled following crocodile attacks, according to Joseph Muguude, the acting Buyende district vermin control activity coordinator.
One of the victims was Joseph Batuli, a 48-year-old resident of Butoli B zone, who had gone fishing. Three days after going missing, his skull, ribs and hips were discovered in papyrus reeds by fellow fishermen.
Earlier, at the adjacent Kibuye landing site in Kaliro district, 36-year-old mother-of-four Zaina Nabirye was attacked and mauled.
Deadly attacks like these left the area's residents living in fear, also sparking public outcry over the lingering danger.
Curious crowds gathered at the Butooli-Namalogwe and Nkoone landing sites to watch the crocodiles expertly disarmed for safe transfer to Entebbe.
Despite the palpable relief all around, Tumanya was keen to warn that Lake Kyoga hosts more crocodiles, with the laying of eggs and incubation typically occurring between April and September.
In fact, one of the other crocodiles still at large believed to weigh as much as 400 kilogrammes is said to have dragged away the traps that the UWA team had set to capture it.
Tumanya warned community members to refrain from provoking the reptiles by accessing their habitats.
But many residents find themselves in a catch-22. Due to limited access to the much safer boreholes, they are forced to head out to the lake shores to collect much-needed water, which means also putting themselves in harm's way.
Experts say crocodiles tend to actively search for prey, including pigs, cows and goats during egg-hatching season. Encounters with humans are common, with mostly deadly consequences.