Several residents claimed that UWA officials have used aggressive tactics to evict locals from land they rely on for farming, grazing, and sustaining their families.
“They are chasing us from the only land we have, yet this is where we farm, graze our animals, and feed our families,” said Robert Nangiro.
“Without this land, how are we supposed to survive?”
Locals reported that villages and kraals had been burned, properties destroyed, and people arrested without proper communication. They called for more transparent and humane eviction procedures.
In response, a committee of elders was formed to present community grievances directly to President Yoweri Museveni during his campaign rally in Karamoja.
Esther Anyakun, State Minister for Labour, Employment and Industrial Relations and Nakapiripirit Woman MP, pledged to work with both the community and UWA to ensure residents’ rights are respected.
“We are here to listen and work with both the community and the Wildlife Authority to ensure that the rights of people are respected,” she said.
Nakapiripirit District Chairperson John Nangiro emphasized dialogue and mutual respect, stating: “Dialogue is the only way forward. We must protect wildlife while also respecting the people who have lived alongside it for generations.”
Simon Peter Longoli, the NRM flag-bearer for the Chekwii County MP seat, noted that negotiations are underway to formalize access to the Pian-Upe Reserve.
“We are working to ensure a memorandum on resource sharing with Uganda Wildlife Authority is reached so that communities benefit rather than suffer,” he said.
The dialogue concluded with a renewed commitment from all parties to resolve conflicts peacefully, balancing conservation efforts with the livelihoods and rights of Karamoja communities.