State minister for tourism, Mr. Serapio Rukundo has given encroachers in the Mt. Elgon National Park a deadline up to September 28 to check out .
He said the time limit overstated encroachers who came into the park after April 2002, when Parliament re-gazetted its boundaries.

In a letter written to the LC5 Chairpersons of Mbale, sironko, Manafwa, kapchorwa and Bukwo, Rukundo told them to explain to the residents to harvest their crops and leave the premises as soon as possible.
The August 11 letter was copied to the Inspector General of Police, Members of Parliament from the Mt. Elgon region and all the LC3 chairpersons in the five districts. This is, therefore, to seek your support in implementing this directive that was agreed on through consensus in meetings I held with district leaders and other community representatives,” Rukundo wrote.

Rukundo said the directive followed an earlier one by his predecessor, Jovino Akaki Ayumu, who had told the encroachers to vacate by July 28.He said the earlier ultimatum was given to the people who invaded the park since 2002 and those who entered during the just concluded campaigns.

He said the level of encroachment in the 1,121sq km park had increased from 3.5% to 8% since 2002.

By Tanah Hadijah

Uganda travel News