The seven petitioners from both Masindi and Kiryandongo districts instructed human rights lawyer Ladislaus Kiiza Rwakafuuzi to file a suit against Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) for the continuous killings by game rangers in Murchison falls.
The petitioners include Andrew Baliganikya- a brother to deceased Alex Byagira, Anna Kobusinge- widow to deceased Sunday Wilson, Moses Ayesiga- son to Erifazi Bagadira, Derrick Asiimwe- orphan to deceased Samuel Baguma, Jovan Bagonza- father to deceased Patrick Muhumuza and others.
These are from the villages of Kitengule, Nyabiiso, Nyakatiti and Masamba all neighboring Murchison Falls National Park. They accuse UWA rangers for killings their relatives in pretext that they are poachers yet the same rangers lure locals into the park in a bid to help them sell game meat.
"They have brokers whom they send to lure the locals to transact their game meat business. Mubutu Lawrence who was their agent and seven others were killed in the park as a result of the designed rangers business. Since then the untold killings have continued quietly," Jackson Byabakama, the coordinator of the deceased's families says.
Byabakama told URN that it was in such circumstances that the late Sunday Wilson was killed after being picked from his home by UWA rangers from Diika Camp in Murchison Falls National Park.
Lawyer Rwakafuuzi said that the victims' relatives are now seeking compensation since they lost bread winners in their families leaving behind orphans and widows. He said that the petitioners want court to order UWA to pay an average of 300 million Shillings for each dead person.
Recently, UWA executive director Dr. Andrew Seguya came out and refuted reports that it has been involved in extrajudicial killings of members of communities living near national game parks.
Seguya said that the most recent incident involved a group of five civilians, who he said were armed and suspected to be poachers and that the rangers shot two of the five suspects during a gunfire exchange.