UGANDA: Parish Priest Appeals for Government Intervention as Community Mourns Catechist Killed by Stray Elephants

Rev. Fr. Valente Innocent Opio, Parish Priest of Aber Catholic Parish in Lira Diocese has expressed concern over slow response by Government of Uganda to protect the lives of the people surrounding the Murchison Falls National Park.

He made the statement while reacting to the tragic death of his Assistant Catechist, Benson Omara, 37 years, old of Bombay Catholic Chapel, who was on Wednesday morning killed by a herd of stray elephants from the Park.

Fr. Valente Innocent Opio said despite constant appeals by the local community surrounding the park, there has been slow response by the Uganda Wildlife Authority to find a permanent solution to the invasions by stray elephants in the area which often pause a threat to human life.

He said the majority of the communities bordering the Park are his parishioners who are currently living in great fear, a situation he said is calling for direct intervention from the Government.

Worried by situation, Father Valente has revealed that actually he has buried a number of people killed by stray elephants in areas of Aber, Park line, Bombay and Juma in Kamdini Sub-county, which is under the juridical administration of Aber Catholic Parish.

“As a human being, I feel the pain because this is not the first time. I have buried many of my Christians killed by stray Elephants,” said Fr Valente.

Father Valente who is on transfer from Aber to Aduku Catholic Parish has conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families of the Christians killed by stray elephants from the park, urging them to remain vigilant as they wait for intervention from Government of Uganda.

Meanwhile the Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities Honorable Ephraim Kamuntu has said Government is going to erect electrical fence at Murchison Falls National Park to prevent the elephants from attacking the community.

The revelation by the minister about the electric fencing at Murchison Falls cast a ray of hope to the sorrowful community grieving the demise of Catechist Benson Omara.

Hon. Kamuntu was on Thursday afternoon at the function of commissioning a 10 Kilometre electric fence at Queen Elisabeth National park in Rubirizi District in Western Uganda by President Yoweri Museveni.

He said that the fencing shall be beneficial to the community whose crops were being destroyed by the elephants, adding that a Non-Governmental Organization called the Space for Giants is working in collaboration with the Government to preserve Elephant species from straying.

In response to the worrying situation in the area, the Uganda Wildlife Authority has contributed 2 million Uganda Shillings (approximately 540.50 US Dollars) towards the burial expenses of the late Catechist.

Mr. Bosco Ogwang Atoli, the Kamdini Sub-county representative to Oyam District Council confirmed the commitment by Uganda Wildlife Authority at a meeting held on Thursday 1^st, August 2019 at their offices in Karuma, saying that the contribution is strictly for burial expenses while the issue of compensation shall be handled later on.

He said this amidst intention of some members of the community to drag the Uganda Wildlife Authority and the Government to court for failure to protect the lives of the people and their properties.

This year alone, stray elephants have killed five people from Kamdini Sub-county while many others were seriously injured

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By Isaac Ojok, St. Mary ́s National Seminary, Ggaba