The Uganda government has finished the arrangements to reopen the boundary of Mountain Elgon National Park to streamline ownership in an action that will stop the conflicts between Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and the local community.
Local leaders in the region surrounding the park have requested the government on several events calling for its intervention in the prolonging conflicts that have prompted the loss of many people’s lives, people’s property, and traccusedust.
For long, local communities around the Mountain Elgon National Park have blamed UWA for the unlawful obliteration of their crops grown around the national park boundaries.
According to them, the President has on some events directed the rangers of Mountain Elgon National Park to stop harassing the local people futile.
Mr. Timothy Mutambazi, a surveyor in the Ministry of Lands, declared that the government has dispensed funds to carry out the activity, which will be conducted between January and February 2017.
“We will begin demarcating the park in January to concoct a perpetual boundary and hope this will be a relief to both sides,” said Mr. Mutambazi during a sensitization planning meeting for the national park re-opening at Mt Elgon Hotel in Mbale on Wednesday.
Mr. Matanda Hussein, the chairperson of Mt Elgon Eco-system Stakeholder’s Forum, said the national park boundary opening has come at the right time.
He also added UWA has been having conflicts with the local people living around the park and many people lost lives and others have been injured.
He clarified that there have been conflicting boundary lines.
“There are those people who believe in the boundary of 1983, others in 1993 while others believe in the 2005 boundary. It’s the opportunity to come up with a clear boundary to avoid this disarray,” he said.
The third Division UPDF commander, Brig Dick Olum, who led the meeting, said the mountain Elgon boundary opening is vital, watching the need for sensitization.
Mr. John Makombo, the director for environmental conservation at UWA, mentioned that all conflicts between the local people and UWA will be solved after the opening of the boundaries.