UWA ranger shoots 12-Year-old boy dead in Mt. Elgon National Park

Joshua Sukuku, a pupil  at Amanang Primary School, was shot in Bukwo District, Sebei Sub-region, Mt. Elgon National Park, for reportedly trespassing and grazing animals. Isaac Kinyazi, a 15-year-old coworker from Cheburbei village in Amanang sub-county, sustained injuries.

This comes barely a month after UWA rangers destroyed crops and life.

Simon Yesho, the LCIII Chairperson of Chepkwasta Sub County, says that UWA rangers were on routine patrol inside the national park from the Bukwo side when they found the victims allegedly ferrying firewood on Friday.

“The young boy was shot in the right-hand arm killing him instantly, and the other was hit by the bullet from the right ear connected to the head,” stated Yesho. He said the survivor is receiving treatment at Bukwo Hospital.

Yesho asked UWA to respect the rule of law, saying that they should have instead apprehended the suspects.

Samuel Amanya, the Chief Warden at Mt. Elgon National Park, confirmed the incident, saying investigations are ongoing.

He says that communities around the national park are hostile to the rangers, which has persistently escalated into conflict. He asked the community to be law-abiding citizens, saying that the National Park is out of bounds without authorization from UWA.

Scuffles between residents and rangers at Mount Elgon National Park often arise from land-use conflicts, with local communities depending on the park’s resources for survival.

Many residents engage in activities like farming, grazing, and collecting firewood in the park, leading to confrontations when rangers enforce strict conservation regulations.

The lack of clear boundaries, historical land claims, and inadequate compensation for resettled communities exacerbate the tensions, resulting in violent clashes over access to natural resources.

In August, Rangers destroyed crops and trees worth millions of money belonging to farmers in Tuikat Subcounty, Kween District, Sebei Sub-region.

These people were evicted from their homeland as Government gazetted the land of the indigenous Benet people into Mt. Elgon Forest back in the year 1993.

UWA, has always maintained that people are partly to blame because many locals knowingly encroach on protected park land for farming, grazing, or resource collection, despite regulations.

This illegal activity disrupts conservation efforts and leads to conflicts with rangers enforcing the law. Additionally, a lack of awareness and alternative livelihoods pushes communities to rely on the park's resources, worsening tensions.