Panic as desert locusts invade northern Uganda

Desert locusts have invaded Otuke district in Uganda leaving the residents in panic. The desert locusts, which have been causing havoc in the neighbouring Karamoja region, spread to the district over Sunday.

The swarm of locusts which came from Kenya spread to the rest of the districts in Karamoja, eastern Uganda, crossed to Otuke.

Otuke District chairman, Mr Bosco Odongo Obote, said the locusts have invaded several villages.

“Otuke District local government is liaising with government to stump out the locusts before they cause extensive damage,” Mr Odongo told Daily Monitor on Monday.

He said a team of the Local Defense Unit (LDU) was deployed to spray the desert locusts using hand pumps.

He urged local leaders in the affected communities to register all families whose farms have been destroyed by the locusts for immediate government intervention.

Otuke is just recovering from prolonged dry spell that ravaged the district from October 2018 until late March 2019. It later received intermittent rainfall. This change in weather patterns affected planting seasons in 2018 and the beginning of 2019, leading to severe food shortages.

With the invasion of locusts, residents are worried that they are likely to once again face severe food shortage.