For years, the Uganda Wildlife Authority has been accusing communities around Mt. Elgon National Park of encroaching on its land. It is against this background that the Ministry of Lands ordered for a comprehensive survey and demarcation exercise to identify the boundaries of the community and UWA land. However, political leaders from Mt. Elgon region are concerned that although the survey was carried out in May 2017, no report has been released to date. “I think the Ministry of Lands must come out openly. It must come out openly to either sort this matter once and for all or they tell us that they have failed to produce a report and we go back to zero.” “There should be a way where to solve the problem in a way that is pro-people but without endangering the Park.”
“We support fully environmental issues around the mountain but these are small pockets, do these things once and for all so that it does not keep recurring every other year.” LC 5 Chairpersons from the districts of Bududa, Mbale, Namisindwa, Sironko, Bulambuli, Kapchorwa, Kween and Bukwo are demanding for the immediate release of the report. They say if the report is not released soon, the communities will have no option but to re-occupy the land which they claim as theirs. “And yet the re-opening of the boundary was meant to completely eradicate the conflicts along the boundary. And at the end of the day leaves everybody satisfied; the National Park and the community. So we are scared, just as the rains start, these people have been using these pieces of land for cultivation. They are now asking, what should they do?”
“To me, I welcome the pressure put on the leaders of the community and the Ministry because we need the report. We need the report, actually, I joined the communities who are demanding for the report because it is going to solve and address all problems. Because we need to put a task, it is this report which will put the task to our MPs to take a decision on issues pertaining the boundaries of the Park.” The communities are also accusing UWA of forcefully occupying land that belongs to them. “This was community land, they even tried to reside here.” the government is now appealing to communities to keep calm and wait for the report. “What I have assured the population is that the decision which we shall take as the government shall not be harmful to the people. We shall make sure that they remain settled comfortably because we need the Park but also we need the comfort of people here in Namisindwa and Elgon area.” Mt. Elgon National Park has been experiencing challenges of encroachment by the communities and experts say over cultivation on the slopes of Mt. Elgon is the cause of frequent landslides.
