Desert locusts overwhelm Bukwo officials

Bukwo, Uganda  | THE INDEPENDENT | Bukwo district resident commissioner, Tom Chesol, says they are overwhelmed by the high number of desert locusts. The desert locusts invaded Bukwo district on Tuesday afternoon from Kanyere in West Pokot county in Kenya.

The locusts are currently in Muteshet, Kabei, Riwo and Kamet Ssub counties.  They have also spread to Kapsiywo, Kabokwo and parts of Kameti.  According to Chesol, the locusts are too many and are in thousands.

He says a team from Uganda People’s Defense Forces and Local Defense Unit is already on ground to spray the locusts. He however, says the work being done is still very minimal compared to the task at hand.

Brigadier Stephen Oluka, the Head of the Disaster Response Team in the Office of the Prime Minister told Uganda Radio Network that they have dispatched a team of soldiers to combat the locusts. He is certain that by the end of the day, they will have managed to bring the situation to order.

By the time of filing this report, the team was in Tulel sub county. Desert locusts are very destructive to crops and can eat several acres of crops within a few hours.

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