Locusts invade Museveni's home in Napak

Another swarm of locusts has landed in President Yoweri Museveni's home in Napak district, sending fears that this could be an onset of destruction of gardens and pasture in Karamoja region.

Three weeks ago, a huge swarm stretching over 10km descended on Naput village in Rupa sub-county, Moroto, destroying trees, before it was wiped out by the army.

When New Vision visited the two villages in Morulinga, where the presidential state lodge is located, the red immature locusts had covered all the trees in the compound despite the overnight efforts by the army to get rid of them.

The leader of the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) control team, Maj. Godfrey Kayongo, who commanded the night battle to destroy the locusts, said they started spraying the insects at 7:00 pm on Wednesday.

"We sprayed the locusts all night," he said, adding that water shortage had hindered the exercise.

Kayongo added that the UPDF was able to save an unspecified acreage of gardens from being destroyed by the insects.

He appealed to the community in the two villages not to risk eating the locusts, saying they have been intoxicated by chemicals and were not fit for human consumption.

He also advised the herders to consider looking for alternative places to graze their animals until pesticides clear after a fortnight.

Farmers worried

Farmers at Nasinyonoit village in Ngoleriet sub-county, Napak district, where swarms of locusts were ravaging sorghum leaves, engaged the locusts before the arrival of the desert locust control organisation aircraft.

Josephine Lokwakol, a resident, said she last heard about locusts two months ago, adding that when they surface, it causes a lot of anxiety because most households have not harvested food.

She appealed to the desert locust control team to intensify the fight and save gardens from being destroyed.

Breeding ground

The Moroto district desert locust focal person, Moses Walakira, said the entry of another swarm of locusts indicates that there is a huge breeding ground in the neighbouring Turkana county.

He said the swarm entered Moroto on Monday afternoon from areas of Orum in Turkana west.

He, however, said a combination of the UPDF troops and the DLCO-EA plane managed to destroy the locusts before they could fly to their next destination.

The UPDF 3rd Division public relations officer, Maj. Peter Mugisa, confirmed the presence of the locusts in Karamoja, saying the swarm was huge, covering two villages.

Mugisa appealed to the community to be on the lookout for the locusts and make timely reports to ensure effective destruction of the predators.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation locust update indicates that more swarms from larger breeding areas in the neighbouring Turkana are expected in Karamoja as Kenya continues with aerial spraying.