Encroachers on national parks must be evicted
May 12, 2008
ON May 1, The New Vision published an article in which a leader from the Mt. Elgon area said they need the President’s intervention to stop the Uganda Wildlife Authority from evicting encroachers in Mt. Elgon National Park.
By Lillian Nsubuga
ON May 1, The New Vision published an article in which a leader from the Mt. Elgon area said they need the President’s intervention to stop the Uganda Wildlife Authority from evicting encroachers in Mt. Elgon National Park.
But Mt. Elgon is a natural heritage and national treasure that should be protected from destruction. We owe it to our neighbours in Kenya to preserve the unique ecosystem on this mountain that has been a major attraction to tourists and locals.
Three years ago, Uganda and Kenya began implementing the lucrative cross-border tourism on Mt. Elgon whereby tourists climb from one country, cross the border near the peak and come down in the other country. This has greatly contributed to the increase in tourist numbers on the Ugandan side of the mountain, largely because of the caldera (beautiful lake) on the mountain peak, which can only be accessed from the Ugandan side.
In February, a Belgian tourist who was visiting Uganda for the first time was killed. She had planned to spend a month in Uganda and to visit the national parks and tourist sites. Mt. Elgon National Park was the first park she visited.
Allowing the communities to remain in the park will only escalate cattle rustling in the region and enable armed criminals to hide in the park and pose a threat to the safety and security of tourists.
A joint operation, which the Uganda Wildlife Authority carried out with other security agencies last February, uncovered a large number of firearms and other weapons in the homes of people living within the park. These weapons had on several occasions been used to attack and maim rangers from the Uganda Wildlife Authority.
The leaders in the districts neighbouring Mt. Elgon National Park need to emulate other leaders of communities neighbouring other national parks and guide their people on how to benefit from the thriving tourism in the region rather than encourage them to cultivate and settle in the park. They should respect and not hinder the work of government institutions that are instituted to work for the development of this country. By claiming that they need the President’s help to ensure they stay in the park, the leaders are implying that the institutions and people that were appointed to work on behalf of government are ineffective.
The President has already pronounced himself on the issue of encroachment on national parks as published in The New Vision, April 24. According to a State House press statement, the President told Members of Parliament during a visit to Hoima that people encroaching on national parks and those instigating it would be arrested.
During her visit to the Mt. Elgon region in March, the Minister of Tourism, Janat Mukwaya, was appalled by the extent of destruction in the park. In a letter to the district leaders after her visit, she instructed that the park boundary be respected and that any claims for land should be clearly stated and not disguised as claims over unclear boundaries.
“As leaders, we need to help our people co-exist with the national park not only for environmental reasons but also for economic reasons such as tourism income, job opportunities and markets,†she said.
The Uganda Wildlife Authority will continue implementing the minister’s directive to stop all forms of encroachment on Mt. Elgon National Park and we call upon local leaders to support this government decision by helping their people to resettle outside the park.
The writer is the public
relations manager of the Uganda Wildlife Authority
ON May 1, The New Vision published an article in which a leader from the Mt. Elgon area said they need the President’s intervention to stop the Uganda Wildlife Authority from evicting encroachers in Mt. Elgon National Park.
But Mt. Elgon is a natural heritage and national treasure that should be protected from destruction. We owe it to our neighbours in Kenya to preserve the unique ecosystem on this mountain that has been a major attraction to tourists and locals.
Three years ago, Uganda and Kenya began implementing the lucrative cross-border tourism on Mt. Elgon whereby tourists climb from one country, cross the border near the peak and come down in the other country. This has greatly contributed to the increase in tourist numbers on the Ugandan side of the mountain, largely because of the caldera (beautiful lake) on the mountain peak, which can only be accessed from the Ugandan side.
In February, a Belgian tourist who was visiting Uganda for the first time was killed. She had planned to spend a month in Uganda and to visit the national parks and tourist sites. Mt. Elgon National Park was the first park she visited.
Allowing the communities to remain in the park will only escalate cattle rustling in the region and enable armed criminals to hide in the park and pose a threat to the safety and security of tourists.
A joint operation, which the Uganda Wildlife Authority carried out with other security agencies last February, uncovered a large number of firearms and other weapons in the homes of people living within the park. These weapons had on several occasions been used to attack and maim rangers from the Uganda Wildlife Authority.
The leaders in the districts neighbouring Mt. Elgon National Park need to emulate other leaders of communities neighbouring other national parks and guide their people on how to benefit from the thriving tourism in the region rather than encourage them to cultivate and settle in the park. They should respect and not hinder the work of government institutions that are instituted to work for the development of this country. By claiming that they need the President’s help to ensure they stay in the park, the leaders are implying that the institutions and people that were appointed to work on behalf of government are ineffective.
The President has already pronounced himself on the issue of encroachment on national parks as published in The New Vision, April 24. According to a State House press statement, the President told Members of Parliament during a visit to Hoima that people encroaching on national parks and those instigating it would be arrested.
During her visit to the Mt. Elgon region in March, the Minister of Tourism, Janat Mukwaya, was appalled by the extent of destruction in the park. In a letter to the district leaders after her visit, she instructed that the park boundary be respected and that any claims for land should be clearly stated and not disguised as claims over unclear boundaries.
“As leaders, we need to help our people co-exist with the national park not only for environmental reasons but also for economic reasons such as tourism income, job opportunities and markets,†she said.
The Uganda Wildlife Authority will continue implementing the minister’s directive to stop all forms of encroachment on Mt. Elgon National Park and we call upon local leaders to support this government decision by helping their people to resettle outside the park.
The writer is the public
relations manager of the Uganda Wildlife Authority