Njengoko bekuxeliwe kutshanje, amagosa kunye nabasebenzi baseUganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) baphila ngokuyingozi xa bebekwe kwiNtaba iElgon National Park, njengoko uhlaselo lwabangeneleli ngokungekho mthethweni, abazingeli ngokungekho mthethweni namasela amaplanga baye babenzakaliseka kanobom de bafa abantu abaninzi ngoxa besenza umsebenzi wabo. ukhuselo lolondolozo, ukukhuselwa kwezilwanyana zasendle, kunye nokugcina indawo ebalulekileyo yokufumana amanzi.
Nangona kunjalo, njengakwiimeko ezininzi, kukho amacala amabini kwibali ngalinye kwaye i-Uganda Human Rights Network kwiveki ephelileyo izamile ukonakalisa imibhiyozo ye-UWA yoNyaka we-UN weGorilla ka-2009 kunye nokupapashwa kwabo kakhulu kwephulo elithi “Friend a Gorilla” xa ikhuphe icala elibekwe ngononophelo nelijoliswe kwizityholo ezichasene nombutho wesizwe wolawulo lwezilwanyana zasendle. Abo baqhelene neemeko zeNtaba i-Elgon ekubeni imeko yale paki yatshintshwa isuka kwihlathi elingakhuselwanga kangako laya kwipaki yesizwe epheleleyo ngo-1993, bajonga izinto, kuquka imifanekiso eqingqiweyo yamaxhoba okungcungcuthekiswa atyholwa ngesandla se-UWA. abasebenzi.
Ngokophando olwalo lwe-ETN, kwezi ntsuku zamva nje ubukhulu bendawo eyayisakuba yindawo yokugcina amahlathi - ngengozi ikwayipaki yelizwe engaphaya komda waseKenya kunye nenxalenye yentsebenziswano enqamlezileyo phakathi kwe-UWA kunye neNkonzo yeZilwanyana zaseKenya - yacuthwa kancinci kancinci phakathi kwe1923, kunye nexesha lenkululeko yase-Uganda ngo-1962, ebonisa ukwanda kwabemi kunye nezicelo zabo zomhlaba wokulima owongezelelekileyo ngaphambi kokuba urhulumente amisele isigqibo sokuba imida ekhoyo ngoku kuya kufuneka ime ukuze ulondolozo lugcine nayiphi na intsingiselo konke konke. Ukukhuselwa okubanzi kwehlathi elisezintabeni njengepaki yelizwe, enyanisweni, kwakujoliswe ekulondolozeni ubomi boluntu lwaselumelwaneni kunye nabemi baseUganda bebonke, njengoko kwanangoko umsebenzi wentaba njengendawo yokutsala amanzi waqondwa, nto leyo eyayivumela ukuhamba rhoqo. yamanzi kwimijelo kunye nemilambo emincinci evela kwiNtaba ye-Elgon kwaye isetyenziselwa iinjongo ezahlukeneyo ngamakhaya kunye neelali ezisezantsi.
Nangona kunjalo, ukusukela oko inkululeko, abantu abajikeleze le paki baye baphindaphindeka kathathu, kwaye nangona ngokungathandabuzekiyo kukho imfuno eqhubekayo kunye neqhubekayo yokuvula ipaki ukuze abantu bahlale kuyo, imfuneko yokukhusela imithombo yamanzi kuwo onke loo manani ongezelelweyo iye yalingana. ebaluleke ngakumbi namhlanje kunokuba kwakunjalo kwiminyaka eli-15 okanye engama-20 eyadlulayo. Ke, kuyaphikiswa yi-UWA kunye namalungu olondolozo lwendalo ukuba ukuyeka ipaki, okanye iinxalenye zayo, kwiminyaka ezayo kuya kwenza ubomi boluntu olujikeleze intaba bubi kakhulu, endaweni yokuba ngcono njengoko kucetyisiwe ngoosomathuba bezopolitiko kunye nabaphembeleli abathembisayo. “izulu emhlabeni” kwabo bakulungeleyo ukuphulaphula nabakulungeleyo ukwenza ukuthanda kwabo ngokuhlasela rhoqo iinkampu zabalindi nabalindi abajikelezayo.
I-UWA ithi isuse malunga neehektare ezingama-2,000 zomhlaba osele uthathwe kwaye ulinyiwe ngokungekho mthethweni, ekuthiwa ubalulekile ekukhuseleni imithombo yamanzi kunye nokuthintela ukudilika komhlaba kunye nokukhukuliseka komhlaba, ngakumbi xa kuqala iimvula ezinkulu ezibangelwa yi-el Nino. . Ukutshatyalaliswa kwamahlathi kunye namanyathelo okulungisa anxulumeneyo ayaqhubeka kwiindawo ezinjalo, njengoko kwaphawulwa.
Kwingxoxo kunye nomlawuli olawulayo we-UWA uMoses Mapesa, wakhaba ngawo omane nasiphi na isiphakamiso kunye nezityholo zokuba i-UWA iza kuziqhelanisa okanye izenze ngabom izenzo zokungcungcuthekisa okanye ezichasene nomthetho kwaye wayikhanyela into yokuba le yayikhe yayindlela yokusebenza yombutho okanye ngumbandela womgaqo-nkqubo njengoko bekucetyisiwe. ngabachasi bayo. Ukhe waba ngumalathisi wemisebenzi yecandelo lombutho phambi kokuba aqeshwe kwisikhundla sokuba yi-CEO, kwaye ehlonitshwa ngokubanzi njengomntu obekekileyo nonyanisekileyo, hayi e-Uganda kuphela kodwa ummandla wempuma ye-Afrika ngokubanzi, unika ubungqina obungakumbi bokukhanyela kwakhe.
Ngelixa uMapesa engazange akuthintele ukudibana kwabalindi ekuvumeleni abantu ukuba bangene epakini ukuze benze i-shambas [iifama ezincinci] ngendlela enobuqhophololo, wafunga ukuba uza kubazisa abo basebenzi baphazamayo, ngelixa ekwabhambathisa ngokulandela amapolisa kunye nezinye iindlela zomthetho. abo benzakalise okanye babulala abasebenzi bakhe kwiiveki nakwiinyanga ezidlulileyo.
UMapesa uqhube wathi eminye yemifanekiso epapashwe ngabaphembeleli bamalungelo abantu kwiveki ephelileyo ngabasebenzi base-UWA benzakele ngexesha lohlaselo kwaye AKUKHO yabemi abamsulwa babethwe ngabasebenzi be-UWA kwaye le mifanekiso inikezelwe kumajelo eendaba yi-UWA njengobungqina bokuthi. olo hlaselo lwabalindi kunye nabalindi.
Ekuvaleni incoko yethu, uMapesa ubeke ityala elikhulu kumasango abo babesakuba bezopolitiko kunye nababhexeshi bezopolitiko, abaphembelela izihlwele ngokuphindaphindiweyo ngo-2000, 2001, 2005, kwaye kwakhona emva kwexesha, kwaye ekugqibeleni babe noxanduva lokuphalala kwegazi okuthe kwabakho ngexesha lokungquzulana kwabangeneleli abanezixholoxholo, abazingeli abangekho mthethweni, amafama angekho mthethweni, namasela amaplanga kwelinye icala kunye nabasebenzi bomthetho be-UWA kunye nezinye ii-arhente zokhuseleko kwelinye icala.
Oku, ngengozi, yindlela efanayo efunyenwe nguGunyaziwe wezamaHlathi weSizwe, obone kwakhona abasebenzi bawo bephantsi kohlaselo rhoqo xa bezama ukunyanzelisa umthetho olawula ulawulo lweendawo zokugcina amahlathi. Kwangoko kule veki, i-NFA ikhuphe iinkcukacha ezithe kratya malunga nohlaselo lwamahlathi amatsha oluchaphazela phantse iihektare ezingama-6,000 zamahlathi afakwe kwigazethi ngelixa urhulumente ecinga ngento emayenziwe kwaye ehleli ezandleni zakhe endaweni yokuxhasa ngamandla iqumrhu eligcina amahlathi.
Iindaba ezimnandi ngoku kukuba i-UWA, ngokubambisana neenkokheli zoluntu zemfezeko, iye yasebenza isivumelwano esiyidrafti kunye neelali ezikufuphi, eya kuvumela ukusetyenziswa okuzinzileyo okulawulwa ngokuqinileyo kumacandelo omda wepaki yehlathi, ebandakanya ukugcinwa kweenyosi, ukuqokelela. amayeza amayeza kunye nezityalo, kunye nokusetyenziswa okunyiniweyo kwamaplanga ngabaxhamli abachongiweyo ngokobungakanani obuqinisekisa uzinzo lwexesha elide lobambiswano lwezoqoqosho.
Ubungozi obuvelayo, ngakumbi ngelihlo kunyulo luka-2011 eUganda, nangona kunjalo, ziye zagxininiswa xa iPRO yombutho, ngexesha leseshini kunye neentatheli eBwindi eyedwa ngaphakathi kwimeko yokuphendula umbuzo, wayizisa kwenye iimpendulo zakhe kodwa ebengayi kuphinda atsaleleke kulo mbandela. Ukudlala ngokulondolozwa kweenzuzo zezopolitiko zexesha elifutshane kunokuba nemiphumo emibi njengoko impembelelo enzima yokutshatyalaliswa kwamahlathi kunye nokutshatyalaliswa komda eKenya ibonisa kakhulu. Apho, ngenxa yeevoti, abezopolitiko baye bajika amehlo amashumi eminyaka kwiingxaki ezivelayo kwaye kuphela ngoku ukuba ukuwa okuvela kwindawo ekhubazekileyo yokubambisa amanzi akusayi kuphinda kufihlwe kwaye kubangela iingxaki ezininzi kunokukhutshwa okunokuthi kuxhaphake. impendulo enesiqingatha eqala ukuvela kurhulumente eNairobi.
Imifanekiso yakutsha nje ebonisa incopho yeNtaba iKilimanjaro ngokoqobo kungekho khephu nomkhenkce, ukucutheka okuqhubekayo kweentaba zomkhenkce zaseRwenzori, nembalela ethe kratya kunye nemijikelo yezandyondyo yezikhukula zonke zisisilumkiso sokugqibela - ukusinda kwexesha elide loluntu kusemngciphekweni, kwaye INkomfa yeMozulu ye-Copenhagen ezayo iya kuba ngowona mqondiso ucacileyo wendlela oorhulumente bamazwe aphuhlileyo, amazwe asemngciphekweni, kunye noorhulumente bethu base-Afrika ngokwenene ekusindiseni umhlaba kwintshabalalo.
Loo ntshabalalo isoloko iqala kwindawo encinci, yiyo loo nto i-UWA idinga yonke inkxaso kunye nenkxaso yezopolitiko ukunqanda ungenelelo olungaphaya kunye nokupakisha kwi-Mt. Elgon National Park.
Ukukhangela imisila yentengiso engabizi kangako njengaleyo yabantu abazibanga belwela amalungelo abantu ngokuqinisekileyo asiyondlela eya phambili. Akukho nogada basiwe enkundleni ngenxa yokwenzakalisa emzimbeni, ukungcungcuthekisa, ukubetha, okanye ukubulala ukuza kuthi ga ngoku, kwaye kusenokwenzeka ngenxa yokunqongophala kobungqina kuba kungenjalo abo benza ezi zityholo baphinde baxela ngokulinganayo ukutshutshiswa kunye nezigwebo - akukho namnye okwenzekayo.
Ukuqukumbela, ezi mvakalelo zithe ngqo zavakaliswa kakhulu ngala macandelo oshicilelo lwasekhaya kunye nemithombo yeendaba zombane zithathwa njengenoxanduva, ngelixa iqela elahlukileyo lamanye amajelo eendaba lalizama ukwenza inkunzi yezopolitiko ngexabiso eliphantsi kwezehlo ezilusizi xa beqaqambisa kwicala elinye. indlela izityholo ezichasene ne-Uganda Wildlife Authority kwaye yayisebenzisa njengeqonga lokuhlasela urhulumente ngokubanzi malunga nayo yonke into.
INTO ONOKUYITHATHA KWELI NQAKU:
- According to eTN own research, in recent days the original size of the former forest reserve – incidentally also a national park across the border in Kenya and part of a trans-boundary cooperation between UWA and the Kenya Wildlife Service – was gradually reduced between 1923, and the time of Uganda's independence in 1962, reflecting growing populations and their requests for more agricultural land before eventually a position was taken by government that the existing boundaries would now have to stand if conservation was to retain any meaning at all.
- The widened protection of the mountainous forest as a national park was, in fact, aimed to sustain the livelihood of neighboring communities and Ugandans as a whole, as even then the function of the mountain as a water catchment area was recognized, permitting the constant flow of water in streams and small rivers emerging from Mt.
- Hence, it is argued by UWA and the conservation fraternity that letting go of the park, or even parts of it, would in coming years make the life of communities around the mountain much worse, instead of better as suggested by political opportunists and inciters promising “heaven on earth”.
