1 dead as locals, UWA clash over parkland

Communities near Mt Elgon National Park in Kween District and Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) are feuding again following the death of a resident, who was allegedly shot by rangers while grazing in the parkland.
The deceased, identified as Moses Kamekete, 38, a resident of Taragon Upper Village in Benet Sub-county, was shot at the weekend, and succumbed to the injuries at Mbale Regional Referral Hospital.
Mr Fred Cheminyo, who was with the deceased at the time of the incident, also sustained injuries, and is admitted to the same hospital.

Mr Cheminyo told Daily Monitor on Monday that the rangers pursued them after they found them grazing their animals in the parkland.
“They started shooting indiscriminately and in the process, we sustained severe injuries,” he said.
However, the UWA officials say the duo was shot because they were poachers.
“The information on the ground shows that they were poachers,” Mr Fred Kizza, the Mt Elgon conservation manager, said.

Mr Dennis Balwaniregha, the Resident District Commissioner, attributed the perennial clashes on residents who have failed to respect the parkland boundary.
“It is true they were shot after they were found grazing their animals in the forest, which is against the law, ” Mr Balwaniregha said.
Residents accused UWA rangers of using excessive force to protect the parkland, which they also claim ownership of.
Leaders in Sebei Sub-region blame the continued impasse on government’s failure to resettle about 30,000 people who were evicted from the forests by UWA two decades ago.

Mr William Chemonges, a resident, said the unplanned eviction is the cause of the continued loss of lives.
“We have lost many people. Others have been tortured, their gardens destroyed because they are found in the park,” he said.
In May, two residents of Kabelyo Parish in Kween District were injured after being shot by UWA rangers for grazing animals inside the park.
In July last year, two people, including a game ranger, were also killed in Senendet Sub-county, Bukwo District.

Mr Chemonges said the passing of Shs50,000 as fine per head of cattle caught grazing in the forest was also done without consultation.
“ The people should be given buffer zones where they can graze animals because these are indigenous people and their economic activity is grazing,” he said.
Mr Juma Moses, another resident of Kaseko Village in Kaseko Sub-county, said they live in fear in their own land.
Mr Moses Chemutai,a councillor, said: “Since we were evicted, we have never been given land for resettlement and grazing our animals.”
Mr Victor Chemutai, an elder, said the wrangle between residents and UWA date back in 1983 when the first degazettement was done.

“There are two contradicting lines of 1983 and 1993.People asked for land to settle in 1983 and government gave it to them but in 1993, they created another line, which people have since refused to accept,” he said.
Mr Chemutai added that wild animals destroy their crops but UWA has never compensated them .
However, Mr Kizza, denied all allegations.
“All those allegation of brutality, rape, and others, they should go and report to police, short of that, they remain baseless,” he said.
He said Shs50,000 penalty fee is legal and was passed by an Act of Parliament.

Origin

Since 1983 when the government set aside 6,000 hectares to resettle the Benet-Ndorobo people from the forests in what turned out to be a botched exercise, a conflict has raged over accessing Mt Elgon National Park, especially for grazing animals.
In 2015, Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) was put on the spot over allegations that some of its officers killed some members of Benet community living on a disputed portion of the lower plains of Mt Elgon National Park. The people of Benet later won a case in the High Court at Mbale against UWA. Court ruled that the Benet should be left to “carry out agricultural activities” in the areas where they have a historical claim.