Buliisa residents renew call for installation of electric fence along Murchison border
However, he remains optimistic that installation will resume by mid-September, providing much-needed protection for the community.
Buliisa: Local leaders and residents in Buliisa Sub County Buliisa District have renewed a call to the government of Uganda through the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) to install an electric fence along the borders of Murchison Falls National Park.
They are expressing concerns over continued delays in the installation of electric fences at the park boundaries, despite numerous attacks and destruction by wild animals, mostly elephants.
Godwin Kyosaba, a resident of Bugana Kichoke village, stresses that despite continued attacks and destruction, the government has kept its ear deaf on erecting an electric fence along the Murchison border.
‘’We were told that the installation of electric fences along the borders of Murchison Falls National Park commenced, but there has been no sign of erecting the fence since 2022. I’m asking the government to expedite the fencing because many people have lost their lives and property destroyed as a result of human-wildlife conflict,’’
Nfundize Helton, a resident of Bugana Kichoke, says that he has abandoned growing cassava and bananas, among others, due to the invasionof elephants.
‘’We are almost spending nights outside manning our crops due to the rampant evasion of elephants. We are in fear that even in the near future we will have nothing to eat due to elephants.’’
Kamanda Kabagambe, the Chairperson of LC3 Buliisa Sub County, noted that despite government promises on erecting the fence, the speed at which they are implementing the project is too slow, yet elephants are continuously evading and destroying people`s crops.
The politician appeals to the government to expedite the process, saying the continuous invasion of elephants has affected so many sectors like education, agriculture, and production, among others.
Residents petition
Recently, residents of Buliisa sub-county formally petitioned local leaders to address the ongoing problem of elephant invasions and the delay in constructing an electric fence around Murchison Falls National Park.
The petition, presented to Kabagambe Kamanda, the sub-county chairperson, highlighted concerns over the government’s lack of action in building the promised electric fence. This measure was intended to prevent elephants from entering human settlements and causing damage.
The impact of these invasions has been severe, with elephants destroying crops and, in some cases, causing human fatalities.
The compensation process for affected residents has proven complex and inefficient, leading to frustration. Fear of elephant attacks has even led some parents to keep their children out of school, exacerbating food shortages in the community.
The proposed electric fence is seen as a critical long-term solution to the human-wildlife conflict in villages such as Bugana, Kataleba, Waiga, Kabolwa, Nyamitete, Kigoya, and Ngwedo.
The Chief Warden of Murchison Falls National Park, Wilson Kagoro, explained that the delay in erecting the fence is due to procurement issues.
However, he remains optimistic that installation will resume by mid-September, providing much-needed protection for the community.
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