Desert Locusts Sighted in Bukwo, Kween, Busia Districts

The deadly desert locusts have arrived in Bukwo district in Eastern Uganda. 

The Bukwo Resident District Commissioner, Tom Chesol told on URN Tuesday evening that a swarm of the desert locusts entered Bukwo from Kanyere in West Pokot County in Kenya around midday.

He explained that the locusts have been sighted in Muteshet, Kabei, Riwo and Kamet Sub counties. Chesol said they have mobilised residents to make noise using the available resources to scare away the locusts. 

He also noted that the district is coordinating with other relevant bodies to tackle the desert locusts in the morning on Wednesday before they start relocating.

Chesol disclosed that they have instructed their local teams to start mapping the areas where the locusts have settled as they wait for soldiers deployed to spray the locusts to arrive. 

Desert locusts entered Amudat districts in Karamoja over the last weekend before they spread to other districts. The locusts, which are said to move in millions, are very destructive to crop gardens. 

Isolated cases of the desert locusts have also been sighted in Kween district.

Sylvester Toskin Bomet, the Kween district Commercial Officer, says a big swarm of locusts had crossed from Bukwo to Kween.  In Busia, locusts have invaded gardens in Buyanga sub-county. Swarms of locusts were observed Buduma and Nanyoni villages in Buhubalo parish in Buyanga sub-county.

Joseph Erima Omulim, the Buyanga Sub County LC3 Chairperson, says he has picked samples and taken them to the production office for confirmation.  

Deogracious Chabalebe, a farmer in Nanoni village whose garden has been invaded by the locusts, expressed concern, saying the insects have destroys all the leaves on his cassava plants.  

Christopher Ouma, another resident from Nanyoni village says the locusts have destroyed his two hectare cassava garden.

Fred Wakapisi, the Busia District Production Officer, says that they have picked spacemen of the locusts and forwarded them to the commissioner crop protection for verification.