Uganda: Wildlife Authority Feud Over Reserve Land
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The Monitor (Kampala)
1 August 2008
Posted to the web 1 August 2008
Joseph Mugisa
A row has erupted between the residents of Hakibaale Sub- county in Kabarole District and Uganda Wildlife Authority over Tooro-Semuliki Wildlife Reserve land.
The row started on July 20 when UWA officials while opening Tooro-Semuliki Wildlife Reserve boundaries went to the three parishes of Kituule, Kiijura and Kabende and cleared off people's banana plantations.
The Chief Warden Kibaale Conservation Area, Mr Charles Tumwesigye, told journalists on Monday that UWA officials destroy banana plantations after a-one-year ultimatum which UWA had given to Hakibaale Sub County residents expired.
He said the ultimatum which started in February and ended in December 2007 was given to the residents who had encroached on the reserve land.
Mr Tumwesigye said that UWA officials had to destroy the crops in the reserve land so that they could go ahead with the national-wide programme of opening all wildlife protected areas following a 2004 UWA survey.
The survey found that about 49 families had encroached on the reserve land because they had planted only crops without building houses.
"Planting only crops on the reserve land without building houses was a sign that the residents knew they were doing something wrong," Mr Tumwesigye said.
He explained that the affected residents are those who went and occupied the gardens of the residents who had complied with UWA's orders and left the land.
When Daily Monitor contacted MP for Burahya Steven Kagwera for comment he said UWA officials were in wrong because when opening the new boundaries they ignored the old ones.
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The District Secretary for Production, Mr Richard Nyakaana, said that the district was planning to convene a meeting of all the affected parties and see how the problems could be solved.
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