COMMUNITY IN DUFILE SUB-COUNTY PROMISE TO BOYCOT ELECTIONS OVER PERSISTENT ELEPHANT INVASION

Officials from UWA Meet Over Raiding Elephants

By Ganiko Samson Bullen
Moyo

There was tension in Dufile Sub-county as community members threatened to boycott the upcoming general elections due to persistent elephant invasions.

Residents claim they have repeatedly raised their concerns with leaders, but the government has turned a deaf ear to their cries, while they continue to suffer property destruction caused by the elephants.

Kinyaa Ruzta, a resident of Paanjala Village and one of the victims greatly affected by the raiding elephants, She expressed deep frustration, questioning the government’s concern for the people of Dufile.

“As of now, we cannot raise our children because of these elephants. We do not qualify to be called Ugandans. If the government has given us away to another country, they should tell us, so we can be taken away from Uganda. We cannot educate our children, we don’t even have S.4 and S.6 leavers each year,” she said.

Drakopi Stephen, another resident of Paanjala Village, called for a clear demarcation of the border between South Sudan and Uganda. “We appealed to the government to clearly demarcate the border between Uganda and South Sudan, but they said South Sudan is not yet stable. Does that mean we should die because of this? This clearly indicates that the government does not recognize us. Therefore, we are not going to vote in the general election,” he stated.

Anyama Williams, the District Chairperson, acknowledged that the issue has been ongoing and difficult to resolve. “It’s a problem that has persisted — and this is even my parish. I tell the government, you are making mobilization difficult for us,” Anyama noted.

On behalf of the Uganda Wildlife Authority, Chief Warden Kiza Fredric of the Murchison Falls Commanding Area, said they had been informed that the buffer zone between the wildlife and human settlement starts at six kilometers. “My proposal is: can we do what helps our people?” he remarked.

The engagement followed an initiative by an aspirant for Member of Parliament in Moyo, who lobbied for a team from the Uganda Wildlife Authority to visit Dufile Sub-county.