AGAGO, October 17, 2026 — Herds of stray elephants from Kidepo Valley National Park have killed two people, injured another and destroyed several acres of crops in Agago district.
The elephants invaded crop gardens on Tuesday morning, killing 32-year-old James Erin and 15-year-old Palex Oyo.
Erin, a resident of Bwol Village in Lukole Subcounty, was killed while trying to drive the elephants away from gardens, while Oyo, a resident of Te-Obiya Village in Lapono Subcounty, was also killed in the attack.
Samuel Mwaka, a resident of Kipako West Village in Lapono Subcounty, was injured.
Charles Odyek, a resident of Bwol Village, said Erin was among a group of residents who had gathered to chase the elephants away from their gardens at about 8am on Tuesday.
“Erin was part of many people chasing the elephants away from the gardens, but he did not know how to dodge. When an elephant is chasing you, you should keep left while running, but for him he kept to the right. Elephants are very fast on the right-hand side. He later hid under a tree, but the elephant had seen him. It slapped him and killed him,” Odyek said.
Odyek said Erin, who hailed from Alebtong District in the Lango Sub-region, had recently relocated to Bwol Village to engage in farming.
The elephants, numbering more than 70, have also destroyed several acres of crops, including cassava, maize, sorghum, pigeon peas and sunflower, after straying into the district from the game park.
Odyek, who is the chairperson of Lukole Cooperative Society Limited, said the invasion had left farmers counting their losses.
“Some of our members lost their crops. Elephants destroy anything they come in contact with. Crops like pigeon peas, maize and even nearly mature sunflower have been destroyed,” he said.
Odyek said the losses were being documented for submission to the Uganda Wildlife Authority [UWA] for compensation.
“We shall have famine next year. There is enough rain now, but I am not sure if we will harvest anything from the crops we are growing because of the elephants’ continuous invasion of our gardens,” he said.
Wilson Otto, the Agago District LCV Chairperson, said 203 gardens had been affected by the recent incursion of elephants.
Otto called on UWA to expedite compensation for residents already facing food insecurity as a result of the destruction.
UWA has a compensation scheme established in 2022 to cater for people who lose loved ones or property to wildlife that strays from gazetted game parks into communities.
The scheme has a board mandated to approve compensation for lives and property lost or damaged by wild animals that stray from protected areas into community settlements.
Under the scheme, the board can approve compensation of up to Shs 20 million for the death of a person killed by a wild animal that strays from a game park.
An injured person can receive up to Shs 15 million where the injuries result in disability, while those who sustain minor injuries can receive up to Shs 7mln, depending on the extent of the injuries.
Recent elephant invasions in northern Uganda have escalated into a major crisis, causing widespread crop destruction, raising fears over food security and, in some cases, resulting in loss of human life. Residents in Agago, Kitgum, Nwoya, Kalenga and Kaabong districts are increasingly worried about a looming food shortage after elephants descended on their farms in search of food, destroying crops and threatening their livelihoods.
https://thecooperator.news/elephants-destroy-crops-as-they-wreak-havoc-in-kiryandongo-district/
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