Elephants kill two women in Nwoya

Residents of Obira parish in Nwoya district, northern Uganda, are in mourning after a herd of elephants killed two women on Friday.

The victims, identified as Scovia Ayiyorwoth, 26, and Doreen Akumu, 46, were attacked while returning from collecting firewood. According to Geoffrey Odaga Pacutho, LCI chairman, Ayiyorwoth, who was carrying her eight-month-old baby, threw the child to safety as the elephants charged.

The baby survived unharmed, but both women were trampled to death. Maculata Mandhawun, who was with the victims, said the tragedy happened just a short distance from their homes.

She tearfully recounted that elephants had also destroyed her five-hectare cassava garden and that her family had now lost members to elephant attacks on two separate occasions.

Local leaders and residents are appealing to the government and the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) for urgent intervention. Omaka Opiyo, a parish councillor, expressed concern over the increasing human-wildlife conflict, which has forced many families to abandon farming and resort to selling firewood for a living.

Walter Piwun, the LC II chairperson, and resident Kennedy Osaaga stressed the need for ranger posts and the extension of the electric fence to save lives and protect livelihoods. According to locals, at least eight people have been killed by wildlife in the area since 2013.

They claim that while UWA previously provided a burial support of Shs 2 million per victim, families have not received full compensation for their losses. The latest attack follows another incident barely a month ago when an elephant destroyed a classroom wall at Jachan Okella Parents primary school in the same parish, forcing students to study under a tree.

According to a recent report from the Uganda Wildlife Authority, 44 kilometres of an electric fence have been installed in Nwoya district to mitigate such conflicts, with work ongoing to extend it further. However, residents and local leaders argue that this is insufficient and that more needs to be done to protect communities.