Tororo Rock requires urgent formal protection

What you need to know:

I suggest that Tororo Rock be declared a site of national importance and accorded formal protection to ensure that human activities around the rock are regulated

Talk of Tororo and the first thing that comes into many people’s mind is the magnificent Tororo Rock. It is such an important part of Tororo Town as well as the district that the saying “The Eiffel Tower is to Paris as Tororo Rock is to Tororo Town” fits appropriately.
This breath-taking land mark, which lies 5 kilometres southeast of Tororo Town centre and rises to about 1,800 meters above sea level, has several aspects to it.

First of all, it is a major cultural site with many ancestral caves and various rock paintings on its slopes. Add this to the inspiration of climbing the rock and the aesthetic breath-taking views from the rock’s peak, which attract tourists to the town.
Most importantly, the rock is home to a species of aloe (aloe tororoana). This means that any interference with the natural conditions on the rock expose this plant to extinction.

The rock is thus a major conservation feature.However, it’s surprising that it lacks formal government protection provided.
Activities which threaten the natural habitat conditions of this site pose a threat to the rock. They include mining and construction of telephone masts, among others.
I suggest that Tororo Rock be declared a site of national importance and accorded formal protection to ensure that human activities around the rock are regulated.
Derrick Bunje,
[email protected]