Lii Subcounty to spend Shs 14mln on elephants
NWOYA– Lii Sub County in Nwoya district is to spend Shs 14 million on maintaining trenches dug earlier to prevent wild animals, especially elephants from Murchison Falls National Game Park from crossing into nearby communities. The money is part of the park the revenue which is shared among sub-counties and districts bordering the game park.
The expenditure comes as an emergency intervention following weeks of the invasion of elephants from Murchison Game Park destroying over 500 acres of food crops in the villages of Ceke and Pakawera in Langele Parish and Got Lunyang, Gony Cogo in Lutuk Parish in the past three weeks.
Justine Odong, the LCIII Chairperson of Lii Sub County in Nwoya district told theCooperator that the funds are already in the sub-county accounts and will be released for use next week.
Odong says that they will use the locals, who are the most affected, to maintain the trenches which were dug about three ago and have since been filled up with the elephants or running water.
According to Odong, the maintenance of trenches will stretch from Ceke village to Gony Cogo where most of the trenches dug have been filled up.
Currently, farmers spend sleepless nights in the gardens banging elementary tools to produce loud noise in an attempt to protect their gardens from being destroyed by the elephants.
Miriam Akello, a resident of Ceke B, Ceke Village in Langele Parish, who lost five acres of soybean to the marauding elephants says they use whistles, as well as banging jerrycans, saucepans, among others to drive away the elephants from their gardens.
George Anywar, the Ceke Village Vice-Chairperson who lost seven acres of bananas to the elephants says farmers have now resolved to periodically contribute Shs 5,000 to buy noise-making materials to drive away from the wild beasts.
“We have at least exhibited unity as farmers and members of the community. We periodically contribute Shs 5,000 to help those who spend sleepless nights in the gardens protecting our gardens. This money is used to buy elementary noise-making materials,” Anywar says.
“The men and youths have also agreed that they sleep in the bush on a two-day rotational basis,”Anywar adds.
Peter Ewalu James, the UWA Karuma Reserve Manager in an interview says maintaining the trenches is an option that the community members should explore more saying they are currently strained by human resource challenges.
Ewalu says that besides the human resource gap, their responses have been heavily affected by the poor road network, with most roads being impassable.
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