Thieves Take Advantage of Curfew to Steal Cattle in Kitgum

Kitgum Resident District Commissioner William Komakech says armed rustlers have made repeated incursions in four parishes in Orom Sub County in the past few days. He says the most affected are Tikau and Obwore in Lolwa parish, Lumule and Latodore in Katutwo parish, Nakongera in Kiteny, Lokibarach, Kamintoo and Akilok in Okuti parish.

Godfrey Komakech, the Hoima District Production and Marketing Secretary who is also a member of the verification committee told Uganda Radio Network on Wednesday that they have suspended the verification exercise because of the COVID19 pandemic.

Bosco Ongom Cankura, the Lagoro Sub County Chairperson says the locusts have invaded all the four parishes of Lawko, Laber, Pawidi, And Lalano adding that they are posing threats to farming. Cankura cited that the young locusts have already started destroying maize crops belonging to local farmers in Lalano parish.

Moses Wanyama, a cattle keeper in Alupe village, says that it took him two weeks to realise that his animals are infected. He is worried that farmers in the area risk losing their animals to the disease if the remaining animals are not infected in time. He said that the animal infected other animals in the area and that the disease is spreading very fast.

Agriculture Minister Vincent Bamulangaki Ssempijja says that they are currently unable to buy nose masks because of the stiff competition for them with countries that want to protect their people from the virus. They were also unable to get some of the pesticides that they use to spray locusts.

Roselyne Mananu, a mother and resident of Fofo landing site in Hoima district says the situation is appalling. She calls on the government to intervene to the residents’ situation and provide relief food.

Unlike the yellow swarms of locusts that invaded the country in February, the new breed of locusts is brownish in colour. According to Kumi District Production Officer Rajab Ogogl, the new breed consists of very young, strong and destructive locusts.