Animals From Queen Elizabeth national Park Destroy Crops

ANIMALS from Queen Elizabeth National Park have destroyed over 500 acres of crops in Rubirizi district, local authorities have confirmed.

Dominic Bakesima, the chairperson of Kasisa-Kagogo farmers’ Forum in Kichwamba sub-county, named the most hit villages as Kasisa and Kagogo in Kichwamba sub-county in Katerera county.

The animals, mostly elephants, destroyed banana plantations.
Bakesima said on Thursday that the two villages have gardens for people from the neighbouring villages.

He said they had appealed to the Uganda Wildlife Authority and the district leadership for help in vain.

“The locals have threatened to stage a peaceful demonstration and boycott the coming elections if nothing is done to rescue the situation,” Bakesima said.

Dinavensi Ndijunwoha, a farmer in Kagogo village, said the area MP, Gaudiosio Tindamanyire, promised to help fence the areas neighbouring the park two years ago but nothing has been done.

Ndijunwoha said many people deserted farming and were redundant, noting that this was likely to cause famine in the area.

The Kichwamba sub-county LC3 chairperson, Philly Masiko, said over 40 people were admitted in dispensaries for malaria contracted from the park as they were guarding their crops from the animals.

Masiko said over 140 farmers cultivate in the villages near the park. He appealed to the disaster preparedness ministry to provide food to the affected people.
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