Nwoya locals give land to UPDF to combat rampaging elephants

Nwoya, Uganda: Residents of Lii Sub-county in Nwoya District have donated four acres of land to the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) to help contain rampaging elephants that have terrorized villages for months, destroying crops, homes, and threatening lives.

The gesture follows years of frustration over what locals describe as “government inaction” in addressing escalating human-wildlife conflicts along the borders of Murchison Falls National Park. The issue has become one of the central talking points ahead of the 2025 elections in Nwoya District.

The land was donated during the campaign launch of Christine Lanyero, popularly known as Mego Larem, the NRM flagbearer for Woman MP Nwoya District, where residents voiced anger at the continued destruction caused by elephants that have strayed from the park into nearby parishes.

According to Mr. Odong Justine Ajaji, the LC3 Chairperson of Lii Sub-county, more than 100 elephants are now living among the communities of Lii, Lungulu, and Purongo, where they have destroyed gardens, food stores, and homes.

“The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has only four rangers deployed in the entire sub-county. Their efforts are overwhelmed. The people have resorted to blowing vuvuzelas and banging jerrycans to scare off elephants, but nothing works,” Mr Ajaji said.

While addressing residents, Christine Lanyero pledged that the fight against elephant invasions would be a top priority in her campaign agenda, alongside improving roads, schools, and health centers.

“We cannot talk about wealth creation when people are sleeping in trees to escape elephants. This will be the first issue I table if you give me the mandate,” Lanyero told supporters.

In response to her appeal, Mr Oola Peter Otoling, a resident of Lii, donated four acres of family land for the establishment of a UPDF detachment, saying the presence of soldiers could finally bring safety to the community. “We have suffered for years. The elephants destroy everything. If the UPDF comes here, at least our people can sleep without fear,” Otoling told DailyExpress.

The land, located near the boundary of Got Apwoyo Parish, is expected to host a permanent security detachment to support UWA in patrols and community protection efforts.

Meanwhile, former Woman MP Lilly Adong, who is now seeking election as MP for Nwoya East Constituency, called for urgent government compensation for affected families and an amendment to the Uganda Wildlife Act to make the process easier for rural communities.

“The current procedures are complicated, slow, and costly. Victims must travel to multiple offices and fill out lengthy forms within limited timeframes. This is unfair to poor farmers,” Adong said.

The persistent elephant menace has become both a security and development issue in Nwoya, where communities still recovering from the LRA insurgency now face renewed threats from wildlife.

Residents say the attacks have worsened poverty, with many losing entire harvests of maize, sim-sim, and cassava. The problem has also sparked political debate, as candidates in next year’s elections position themselves as champions of community safety and compensation reform.