Rubirizi, Uganda – Residents of Kashenyi and Rurama villages in Rutoto Sub-county, Rubirizi District, are facing severe hardship after a leopard (Engwe) killed at least 15 goats and 3 pigs in Kashenyi and 8 goats in Rurama in just a few days.
The predator has also ravaged banana plantations (emisiri), devastating livelihoods and plunging families into crisis.
Madam Atuhire Macklin, a resident of Kashenyi, voiced the community’s escalating frustration to a local reporter. She warned that if Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) officials from Kyambura Game Reserve, part of Queen Elizabeth National Park, fail to capture the leopard, residents will boycott the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party in the upcoming elections. Macklin stated that the relentless attacks on livestock and crops, coupled with the growing presence of wild animals, have caused widespread poverty and hunger.
She appealed to the government for assistance and compensation, highlighting the desperate measures residents are taking – including sleeping with livestock in their homes to protect them – which presents serious health risks.
Mr. Turyingana John, LC1 chairperson of Kashenyi village, corroborated the severity of the situation. He explained that the affected residents are struggling to recover from the losses to their livestock and crops, particularly banana plantations, which were heavily damaged.
Many families, who had invested funds from the government’s Parish Development Model (PDM) program in agriculture, now face hunger, poverty, and an increase in domestic violence. The fear of further attacks has led some residents to sleep with their livestock indoors, exposing themselves to potential disease outbreaks.
Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) communication officer, Mr. Bashir Hanji, responded to the crisis. He assured the affected families that the government is aware of the situation and actively working to remove the leopard. He urged the community to cooperate with UWA officials and avoid retaliatory actions against the animal.
Hanji emphasized that any resident caught harming the leopard will face arrest and prosecution. He also pledged that the government would provide appropriate compensation to the affected families.
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