Nwoya, Uganda: President Museveni’s offer of Shs10 million to families of two women recently killed by elephants in Nwoya District has drawn sharp criticism from long-suffering victims who say the government has ignored years of hardship, deaths, and destruction caused by roaming wildlife from Murchison Falls National Park.
The President made the contribution after learning of the two deaths ahead of his visit to the district, but locals say the gesture highlights selective sympathy and decades of unaddressed suffering.
Vicky Anena, a resident of Pokwana Village in Lii Sub-county, questioned why only the two bereaved families received attention, despite hundreds of others having lost relatives, property, and livelihoods to elephant invasions stretching back years. She said crops have been destroyed repeatedly, pushing families deeper into poverty.
Anena appealed for urgent completion of the electric fence along the park boundary, warning that prolonged delays have left communities exposed to frequent elephant incursions.
For Walter Opio, also from Pokwana, the crisis escalated sharply around 2012 and has since grown worse, with more than one hundred elephants now frequently roaming into community settlements. He urged government to deploy the army temporarily while fence construction continues, describing the situation as “beyond what the community can handle.”
Opio added that the destruction of crops has crippled education, as many families no longer earn enough to pay school fees. He demanded immediate compensation and cautioned that if government fails to act, elders may resort to traditional protection methods to secure their communities.
Another resident, Ojok Onigo, said families now rely on crude homemade tools, such as catapults, to scare elephants away from their gardens. He revealed that a community member has donated four acres of land to establish an army detachment to boost security.
President Museveni has since pledged to send Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja to Nwoya to assess the worsening situation and expedite government intervention.
Human–wildlife conflict has become one of Nwoya’s most explosive issues and is expected to weigh heavily in the run-up to the 2026 elections, with analysts predicting it could significantly influence voter sentiment.
If you would like your article/opinion to be published on Uganda’s most authoritative news platform, send your submission on: [email protected]. You can also follow DailyExpress on WhatsApp and on Twitter (X) for realtime updates.
