Nwoya district to support livelihoods of locals through coffee farming and apiary
NWOYA, December 22, 2025 – Nwoya District Local Government plans to invest Shs 350 million in coffee seedlings and apiary to improve the livelihoods of communities affected by human–wildlife conflict.
The district receives about Shs 700 million each year from the Uganda Wildlife Authority [UWA] as a fraction of the revenue collected from visitors to the Murchison Falls National Park.
According to the Nwoya District Speaker, Tony Okello, half of this amount [Shs 350 million] will next year be used to procure coffee seedlings and beehives for the sub-counties of Koch Goma, Lii, Anaka, Got Apwoyo and Purongo, which are the most affected by wildlife invasions.
“In the past, we have been buying chickens, goats and grinding mills for our people, but we have not seen much impact. As a council, we resolved in October to invest in coffee and beehives instead,” Okello said. “Bees help to chase away elephants, and the beehives will also provide honey, which people can consume or sell to earn an income.”
Coffee is an emerging cash crop among communities in the Acholi sub-region, which have traditionally relied on seasonal crops that last between three and nine months.
Okello further explained that human–wildlife conflict has contributed to high levels of gender-based violence in affected communities, largely due to poverty caused by the destruction of crops by elephants.
“Unfortunately, the government has never provided relief food to these communities, so people are suffering. Nowadays, elephants do not only destroy crops in gardens; they even remove the roofs of houses where food is stored and eat it,” he said.
Betty Atoo, a resident of Lii Sub-county, one of the areas most affected by elephant invasions, welcomed the district’s plan.
“The district’s idea is good. At least we will have a fallback when elephants destroy our crops. We can use the money earned from honey and coffee to buy food from other areas and also pay school fees for our children,” Atoo said.
Okello also revealed that the remaining half of the revenue-sharing funds will be used to sponsor pupils and students to attend good schools across the country as part of efforts to strengthen the district’s human capital.
This initiative comes at a time when residents of Nwoya district, particularly those living near the park, have expressed concern over what they say is limited access to employment opportunities at UWA].
However, Movard Turyatemba, the Warden in Charge of Karuma Wildlife Reserve, said during a recent engagement with journalists in the Acholi sub-region that local communities often miss out on jobs due to a lack of academic qualifications.
“The jobs are open to everyone who applies. But sometimes people living near the parks engage in poaching and fail to attend school. Even when we set Senior Four as the minimum academic requirement, it is often lacking in some of these communities,” Turyatemba said.
Uganda has a total of 69 districts with wildlife-protected areas.
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