Elephant kills another woman in Buliisa

Buliisa: A 42-year-old woman named Faling Onee has been killed by a stray elephant in Buliisa district, marking another tragic incident in the area.

Onee, a resident of Kabolwa village in Buliisa sub-county, was attacked by the elephant while collecting firewood in a nearby bush on March 30, 2025. The elephant, believed to have escaped from Murchison Falls National Park, attacked her without warning.

Local residents conducted a search, and on March 31, they found Onee’s body in a pool of blood, suffering severe injuries to her head, face, and stomach. Despite immediately notifying the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) about the attack, local leaders have reported that there has been no response from the UWA.

Kamanda Kabagambe, the Buliisa sub-county LCIII Chairperson, expressed his concern over the lack of action from UWA.

Kamanda said that he was informed by another woman who had gone to collect firewood but survived death after suceeful fleeing from the elephant. ‘’We found the body in a pool of blood and conveyed to Buliisa General Hospital mortuary. It was later handed over to relatives for burial,’’ Kamanda added.

Kennedy Oringi, the LCIII Chairperson for Ngwedo sub-county, criticized UWA for their delayed responses to numerous incidents involving stray animals.

Onee’s death follows another devastating incident in February 2025, when 55-year-old Eunice Kutegeka was also killed by a stray elephant while collecting firewood near her home in Kigoya village.

Kutegeka’s four-year-old grandson, Robert Niwagaba, who was with her during the attack, sustained critical injuries and is currently recovering in Buliisa General Hospital.

The recent tragedies have intensified frustration among the local residents living near Murchison Falls National Park. These communities have long raised concerns over the frequent invasions of wild animals, which have led to fatalities and widespread crop destruction.

On March 22, 2025, a 29-year-old man named John Kumakech was also injured in a separate elephant attack.

Kumakech was riding his bicycle near Waiga Trading Center in Buliisa sub-county when the elephant attacked him. A passing driver rescued him and rushed him to Buliisa General Hospital for treatment.

Kumakech’s brother, Kenneth Franko Uyungi, has called on the government to fast-track the installation of an electric fence to prevent wild animals from straying into residential areas and causing further harm.

Allan Atugonza, the Member of Parliament for Buliisa County, has urged President Yoweri Museveni to intervene in addressing the escalating human-wildlife conflict. Atugonza made this appeal during Museveni’s recent visit to Buliisa to assess the progress of the Parish Development Model (PDM).

He emphasized that elephants have caused extensive damage to farmlands and have killed many people, especially in villages bordering Murchison Falls National Park.

In response, President Museveni revealed that 10 kilometers of the planned 35-kilometer electric fence along the park’s boundary in Buliisa have already been completed.

The President assured residents that the fence will be extended to the most vulnerable areas by the end of the financial year, as the Ministry of Finance has already released funds for the project.

In July 2024, farmers in Buliisa Sub-county staged a protest demanding compensation for lives lost, injuries sustained, and crops destroyed due to wild animal attacks. Since 2022, at least 18 people have been killed by elephants and buffaloes in the district.

Residents from over 20 villages near the park, including Butiaba, Buliisa, Ngwedu, Biiso, and Buliisa Town Council, petitioned UWA in 2022 for urgent intervention, over destruction of crops caused by wild animals.

Do you have an advertisement or article you want to publish? Mail us at theugreports@gmail.com or WhatsApp +256757022363.