Young boy shot dead by UWA ranger in Mt. Elgon National Park

Bukwo, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A Uganda Wildlife Authority-UWA ranger has shot dead a 12-year-old boy.

Joshua Sukuku, a pupil at Amanang Primary School, was shot for allegedly trespassing and grazing animals inside Mt. Elgon National Park. His other colleague Isaac Kinyazi,15, a resident of Cheburbei village, Amanang sub-county in Bukwo District was injured.

Simon Yesho, the LCIII Chairperson of Chepkwasta Sub County, says that UWA rangers were on routine patrol inside the national park from the Bukwo side when they found the victims allegedly ferrying firewood on Friday.

“The young boy was shot in the right-hand arm killing him instantly, and the other was hit by the bullet from the right ear connected to the head,” stated Yesho. He said the survivor is receiving treatment at Bukwo Hospital.

Yesho asked UWA to respect the rule of law, saying that they should have instead apprehended the suspects.

Samuel Amanya, the Chief Warden at Mt. Elgon National Park, confirmed the incident, saying investigations are ongoing.

He says that communities around the national park are hostile to the rangers, which has persistently escalated into conflict. He asked the community to be law-abiding citizens, saying that the National Park is out of bounds without authorization from UWA.

For over a decade, the community living next to the national park has always conflicted with UWA following the boundary conflicts, which have resulted in killings and displacements.

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