Grief and fear have gripped residents of Kahyooro B Village, Nyamiti Ward in Muhorro Town Council, Kagadi District, after a chimpanzee attacked and killed a four-month-old baby. The incident has increased the community’s worries over the escalating cases of wildlife attacks in the area. The tragic incident occurred last week when the baby’s mother, Ms Rogers Ahaisibwe, left the child, Miracle Ngonzize, resting near her garden as she tended to her crops.
A chimpanzee reportedly came from the nearby Katyobona Private Forest Reserve, grabbed the baby, and disappeared into the thick bushes. Neighbours who heard the mother’s cries rushed to help search for the baby, but their efforts ended in tears when they found the child’s lifeless body abandoned deep inside the forest.
‘I received information that the baby girl had gone missing. We immediately organised a search, only to discover her lifeless body. It was a horrifying scene. This is not the first time this has happened here,’ Mr Yasin Mugabi, the Local Council 1 chairperson of Kahyooro B, said in an interview last week. Mr Mugabi said such attacks have become common, forcing residents to abandon their gardens out of fear. He said chimpanzees from the nearby forests roam freely, attacking people and destroying crops.
For many locals in Kagadi District, farming is their only way of survival, but the growing threat from chimpanzees has left them torn between trying to earn a living and staying safe. Ms Glorious Ajuna said her child narrowly survived last year after a chimpanzee entered their home, grabbed the child, and injured her before villagers chased it away. Ms Ajuna said she later spent a lot of money on medical treatment for the child. ‘Since then, I have lived with fear and debts due to medical bills. If the government can’t gazette these reserves, they should relocate them to another forest. I don’t know if UWA wants us to first die and then they come to remove these animals. Our gardens are also destroyed,’ she said.
Mr Kisembo Matia, a resident of Nyamiti, said chimpanzee attacks have been happening for more than 20 years. Over that time, many people have been killed or injured, and gardens repeatedly destroyed. ‘I have attended over 20 burials of people killed by chimpanzees in our area. For years, we’ve been promised that the land would be gazetted, but nothing has been done. We are living like prisoners in our own homes,’ he said.
He added that the attacks have also affected children’s education, as many are too scared to walk to school. Some roads to school pass through places where the chimpanzees roam, forcing children to stay home. A Primary Five pupil, Richard Ayesiga, from Nyamiti Primary School, said: ‘Whenever I try to go to school, chimpanzees cross the road and chase us. I get scared and run back home. I want to study, but I’m afraid.’
Local leaders have condemned what they call government negligence in addressing the growing menace. Mr Godfrey Nangonza, the LC3 chairperson of Muhorro Town Council, described the situation as ‘dire and unacceptable’. ‘As leaders, we have repeatedly informed the authorities, especially the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), but there has been no effective response. If this continues, people might resort to killing the animals in self-defence, and that will be another crisis,’ he said.
Mr Nangonza said Kagadi District registers at least one death annually from chimpanzee attacks, with several others suffering injuries. ‘This year’s case is the first fatality, but we’ve already had two other minor incidents. The villages of Karuswiga, Nyamiti, and Kahyooro are the most affected,’ he said. The residents are now demanding immediate government intervention. Some have threatened to stage protests if their pleas continue to go unanswered.
Ms Kahunde Muhereza, a community member, said they had earlier reached an agreement with the UWA for compensation, but nothing has come out of it.
‘We were told that victims would be compensated, but until now, no payment has been made. Even the proposed compensation was not worth the land we’ve lost,’ she lamented. Mr Bashir Hangi, the spokesperson for UWA, sympathised with the bereaved family and assured residents that the matter had been reported to the central government.
‘The government is in the process of compensating all the affected families. We are also working toward gazetting the area once funds are available. In the meantime, we urge locals to remain vigilant and avoid provoking the animals,’ he said.