By Swift Reporter
The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has kicked off the construction of electric fences around national parks as part of government efforts to curb escalating human-wildlife conflicts and protect communities living near protected areas.
State Minister for Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, Hon. Susan Nakawuki, told Parliament on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, that fencing works had already commenced along the section of Queen Elizabeth National Park bordering Rukungiri and Mitooma districts.
Nakawuki said the electric fencing programme is being implemented gradually across the country, citing the high cost involved in fencing national parks.
“But this is a very expensive venture and we are doing it step by step. Material is available and work on the fence from Rukungiri to Mitooma started last week,” Nakawuki told Parliament.
Her remarks followed concerns raised by Nyabushozi County MP Wilson Kajwengye (NRM) over persistent attacks by wild animals from Lake Mburo National Park in Kiruhura District.
Kajwengye said residents in five sub-counties in his constituency had repeatedly suffered crop destruction, damage to water sources and attacks on people by wildlife.
He said the situation had disrupted livelihoods and food security, leaving some families in need of urgent government support.
“These are people who have been food-secure for some time. But because of this, they have now been rendered food-insecure and are now destitute, hence the outrage,” Kajwengye said.
The MP appealed to the government to provide affected communities with relief food and planting materials to help them recover from the losses caused by wildlife.
He also urged the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities and UWA to expedite plans to install an electric fence around Lake Mburo National Park to prevent animals from straying into surrounding communities.
Kajwengye proposed trenching as an immediate alternative if funding or other requirements delay construction of an electric fence.
“If the fencing cannot be done now, then trenching can be done as an immediate measure to stop wild animals from destroying crops,” he said.
The legislator also raised concerns over compensation for communities affected by human-wildlife conflict, arguing that the current compensation framework does not adequately address the losses suffered by residents.
He said although the Uganda Wildlife Act provides for compensation, the guidelines used to determine payments are not sufficiently favourable to communities living around protected areas.
“The guidelines leading to these payments are grossly unfavourable to the communities surrounding the parks. Some animals were ridiculously excluded as if they do not destroy crops,” Kajwengye said.
He also called for an increase in the share of tourism revenue allocated to communities surrounding national parks from the current 20 per cent to 40 per cent.
In addition, Kajwengye asked the government to support the construction and rehabilitation of communal water points in areas affected by wildlife incursions.
Responding to the concerns, Minister Nakawuki said UWA had already taken steps towards fencing other affected national parks.
She said UWA had submitted a request for government funding to fence Lake Mburo National Park, although the funds had not yet been released.
Nakawuki explained that the nationwide electric fencing programme would be rolled out in phases depending on the availability of resources.
On compensation, she said payments to people affected by human-wildlife conflict are currently guided by the Uganda Wildlife Compensation Regulations, 2022.
She added that the regulations are undergoing review, with amendments expected to address some of the concerns surrounding compensation.
Following the debate, Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa directed the Committee on Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities to investigate the concerns raised by Kajwengye in consultation with the responsible ministry.
The committee was given 45 days to present a detailed report to Parliament, including recommendations on wildlife compensation and the proposal to increase the percentage of tourism revenue shared with communities.
“This is an issue that touches very many colleagues here. The Committee on Tourism will interact with the Ministry on the regulations to do with compensation and increasing the percentage for compensation. These are things we need to look into,” Tayebwa said.
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