By Weswa Ronnie
MBALE
Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) is launching a community friendly program dubbed Tawunja to court Mt. Elgon National Park encroachers.
According to UWA manager, Mbale, Samuel Amanya, Tawunja program entails registering all encroachers at Mt. Elgon National Park, allocating them pieces of land at the Park for them to plant trees and grow crops in between them until the crops mature.
Amanya revealed this to our reporter on Wednesday, 21st February, 2024 in an exclusive interview saying the purpose of Tawunja is to improve on their relationship with the community neighboring the Park such that conflicts can be avoided.
He revealed that due to the conflicts between UWA and the local communities, at least 15 of their staff have been killed and 35 injured by encroachers at Mount Elgon National Park in between 2003 to date.
