Villages in fear over marauding hippos

Residents in Ddwaniro Sub-county, Rakai District are living in fear after a hippopotamus mauled residents, leaving one dead.
 Currently, residents in the villages of Katonto, Kireeta, Bigando, Kyabaremera, Buyamo and Lutoma, among others, enter their houses as early as 7pm to avoid being mauled by hippos from Lake Kijjanebarola.

Mr Moses Mugarura, a resident of Buyamo Village, on Tuesday said he was pondering foregoing farming due to fear of being attacked by hippos.
“I have a garden of cabbages a few kilometers away from Lake Kijjanebarola and I have been leaving the garden at around 7pm. However, I currently make sure I start walking around 5pm so that I reach home before it gets dark,” he said.
Mr Tom  Mulindwa, the Ddwaniro Sub-county chairperson, asked the district officials to devise ways of protecting residents from marauding hippos.

“These hippos have been around since time immemorial but  our grandparents had tricks of keeping them far away from their homes. Let the district officials use both local and modern means to keep them away. For example growing some plants near the gardens and homes which are not friendly to the hippos,” he said.
Last week, four youths attempted to attack a hippo which was sleeping in one of the banana plantations. 

When they threw stones at it, it woke up and chased them. One of them, Hassan Ssemugooma, reportedly fell down and was mauled. 
The deceased was a boda boda rider at Ddwaniro Stage and a farmer.
Ms Fatuma Namuwonge, a wife of the deceased, said: “We had earlier heard that the hippo was moving in the nearby swamp and the banana plantations. We expected people to keep away. I was surprised that my husband was among those who chose to go there.” 

Mr Umar Ssebalinde, the Rakai District vice chairperson, who doubles as  Byakabanda Sub-county councillor at the district, asked Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) to intervene and start sensitising the community on how they can co-exist with hippos because they are so many in the area and are becoming a danger.

Mr Bashir Hangi, the UWA public relations officer, said affected residents have not officially alerted them. However, he advised them to be vigilant as UWA prepares to send a team to the area.
He advised residents staying near the lake shores to avoid using the affected areas as gardens because hippos tend to get closer to the shores to nurse their new-borns.

“I advise those residents to stay away from the 100-metre reserves from the lake shores. With this, the hippos will be controlled from attacking the homesteads and destroying crops,” he said.
Mr Paul Ssewalu, the Katonto Village chairperson, urged residents to be vigilant because the hippos are currently expected to be in every part of the district because Lake Kijjanebarola stretches to several sub-counties.
Lake Kijjanebarola is a major water source for communities in Lyantonde, Rakai and Isingiro districts.

In Rakai, the lake stretches into 12 sub-counties out of the 19 sub-counties that make up the district.
It has hippos which are a tourist attraction.
In November 2021, a hippo killed two teenagers in Ddwaniro Sub-county, who went fishing on Lake Kijjanebarola after it reportedly feared the boys would harm its calf.