Politicians blamed for resurgent land troubles over Mt. Elgon National Park boundaries

ELECTION MODE BLAMED FOR RENEWED TROUBLES OVER MT. ELGON PARK BOUNDARIES

(Posted 03rd September 2015)

A regular source close to the Uganda Wildlife Authority has blamed power-greedy politicians, seeking to impress voters living along the park boundaries of Mt. Elgon National Park, for unscrupulously inciting their constituents to start another round of troubles over land issues.

The current park boundaries were demarcated in 2002 after a broad based consultative exercise, but no sooner were the new boundaries published did troubles emerge when politicians prodded people to move into the park and occupy land. This led to hundreds of deaths when, after felling trees on steep inclines, landslides swept over such illegal settlements. This problem is compounded by the opening up of a widening crack around sections of the mountain, thought to have been emerging following seismic activity – Mt. Elgon, Uganda’s tallest stand-alone mountain is an extinct volcano – and made worse by often torrential rains.

UWA’s senior manager at the Mt. Elgon Park brushed aside the renewed demands for land, pointing to the legal position which would require an act of parliament to change the park boundaries, while affirming that the park boundaries, as they presently exist, will be strictly enforced and any encroachers removed for their own safety.

Added the source on condition of anonymity: ‘Ahead of the upcoming elections we expect more trouble. Mt. Elgon is a hotspot and many of UWA’s rangers died in unprovoked attacks on them. UWA under the law must protect and enforce boundaries of parks and that is what they will do. Politicians should be responsible and not inflame and incite their constituents in search for votes. The law is the law and applies to all of them’.

For information about Mt. Elgon National Park click on www.ugandawildlife.org and follow the link.