By Tolit Ivan
Grief has engulfed residents of Ludwar Village in Orom East Sub County, Kitgum District, after a stray elephant trampled a 46 year old woman to death on Thursday.
The deceased identified as Rose Natyang, a mother of six, was attacked at around 9am while harvesting simsim in her garden.
Richard Ojara, the area Local Council Three Chairperson, confirmed the incident, saying Natyang’s body was taken to Kitgum General Hospital for a postmortem.
Efforts to obtain a comment from Richard Muhabwe, the Chief Warden Kidepo Valley National Park, were unsuccessful, as his known telephone number was unreachable by press time.
Natyang’s death brings to five the number of peasant to have been killed by elephants in Orom East Sub County since the beginning of this year, according to local authorities.
In October 2022, the Government of Uganda operationalized the Wildlife Compensation Fund to compensate victims of human-wildlife conflict.
Under the arrangement, the Uganda Wildlife Authority allocates 2% of its annual revenue collections to support compensation for victims of wildlife-related incidents.
Human-elephant conflict remains a persistent challenge in several parts of northern and western Uganda, including Kitgum, Nwoya, and Buliisa districts, where elephants from nearby protected areas have frequently strayed into communities.
