Atiak cracks whip on rampant bush-burning

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Bush burning during the dry season, a common but destructive venture, has prompted the Atiak town council leadership to pass a resolution to hold fire-starters accountable. 

Bush burning in northern Uganda is used as a land management practice to clear land for cultivation and sometimes during the hunting season.

The resolution, spearheaded by council chairperson Kenneth Okot, seeks to curb the devastation caused by uncontrolled fires that sweep across farmlands, destroying valuable crops like sorghum and pigeon peas, and even burning materials essential for constructing huts. 

"These fires are not just destroying property; they are setting ablaze the livelihoods of our people," Okot said in an impassioned interview with Radio Rupiny on January 15, 2025.

Under the new rules, anyone caught starting a fire that damages property will face a double penalty: A fine of shillings 30,000 and the responsibility of paying for the full extent of the damages. The law, according to Okot, is already in force, with one offender recently coughing up shillings 115,000 after a fire they started reduced bundles of grass—intended for hut construction—to ashes.

Okot says the move is expected to foster accountability and preserve the community’s resources. 

“We cannot afford to let these fires destroy what little we have worked so hard to grow,” he said.

The council is also working closely with village leaders to educate the community about fire safety and the dire consequences of neglect.