By Jennifer Acheng
Residents of Alerek sub-county in Abim district are crying foul, following the persistent destruction of their crop gardens by stray wild animals.
For the last three weeks, wild animals said to be elephants and wild pigs from Kidepo Valley National Park have reportedly gone on rampage destroying several acres of crop gardens in the areas of Olem, Kathimongor, Kotholu, Koninu, tyen Okwer,otumpili among other places, leaving farmers counting loses.
Santina Akoko a resident of university ward in Alerek T/C says she lost four acres of sorghum worth 1millionShs, to the wild animals, adding that other crops destroyed include bananas, groundnuts, among others.
Akoko says they are now expecting the worst hunger situation next year, since the little harvest they were counting on is being destroyed. She is now calling upon UWA authorities to intervene and rescue the situation.
Mary Akello another farmer from Otumpili central village says she lost two acres of groundnuts to the wild animals, saying they are now forced to harvest premature crops from the gardens. She fears that the animals are likely to displace locals from their homes since they are moving closer to homesteads.
Innocent Okong, a farmer from Olem parish, Alerek sub-county who lost over10 acres of millet and groundnuts says they have tried to engage UWA officials in vain. He says they are now contemplating legal action against the concerned authorities before the issue gets out of hand.
Martin Oryem, the Assistant Warden, Community Conservation Department, Kidepo when contacted by our reporter, says they will follow up on the issue to see how best the affected locals will be compensated. Oryem says the communities should always work hand in hand with the community wildlife scouts to promptly report such issues.
In January 2022, the Uganda Wildlife Authority-UWA adopted a mobile application for reporting incidents of problem animals in communities surrounding Kidepo Valley National Park.
The App an Open Data Kit has features of assigning GPS coordinates and the instant location where the stray or problem animal has been discovered, particulars of the affected persons, magnitude and type of damage experienced including crops or property destroyed, and human injuries or death incidences.
