Earlier this month, swarms of locusts from Kenya entered Uganda through Amudat District. They are yellow in color which indicates that they are old and about to reach the end of their life span. That seems like good news but these locust are trying to bleed and multiply in number. According to experts, one female locust is able to layup to 200 eggs and this shows the ratio in which they multiply.
The desert locusts were said to be a result of the winds blowing from Somalia to Uganda and the 2 swarms come ahead of the larger swarms that come later. The locusts have spread to other districts of Karamoja region and last Sunday they spread to Otuke.
This has raised panic among the residents and all farmers whose crops have been affected by the locusts were asked to register so that help is sent to fight the locusts. Local Defense Unit (LDU) members have been deployed in the region to hand spray the locusts and control the damage they would have chased.
However reports from Karamoja residents say that the locusts haven’t done so much damage and destruction as they had anticipated. The government is still trying to find ways to control and avoid a possible famine outbreak in the region.