Wildfire leaves over 100 homeless in Lokwakial subcounty

21 February 2025, 3:48 pm

By Joseph Logola

Wildfires have left a trail of destruction in Lokwakial subounty, Kotido district, displacing over 127 people and reducing several villages to ashes.

Longorok Lokapelinyang, a 56-year-old victim, lost his home and all his belongings in a fire that destroyed 59 households in Lokwakial subcounty.

The crisis has also affected other subcounties, including Kacheri and Nakapelimoru, where unknown fires, fueled by dry winds and human activity, have ravaged several villages, worsening food insecurity in communities already struggling with poverty and hunger.

Longorok, who was rescued by locals as he attempted to enter the fire that gutted his home, lost all his household items, including money and livestock. He is currently receiving treatment at Kotido General Hospital.

Speaking to our reporter from his hospital bed, Longorok said that as families struggle to rebuild their shattered lives, they hold onto hope that government and humanitarian intervention will arrive before it is too late.

Meanwhile, leaders in Kacheri subcounty have expressed concern over the continued practice of bush burning, which has led to widespread destruction of property.

Mark Longoli, the LC3 chairperson of Kacheri town council, said pastoralists have long engaged in bush burning to clear spaces for rat hunting, eliminate ticks, and encourage fresh grass growth for livestock.

He noted that despite ongoing community sensitisation efforts aimed at preventing fire outbreaks, the practice has persisted for the past three months. He emphasised that the situation has now escalated into a disaster requiring urgent intervention.

Lobok Ilukol Loganga, the vice chairperson of LCI Nayonae ward, Moru-Angimoe village, Kokuwam parish, Kacheri town council, reported that several homesteads in his village have been destroyed by the wildfire.

Josephine Kokoi, Magdalena Akello, and Maria Atoo, some of the affected residents, said the fire started approximately two kilometers away before spreading uncontrollably to their homes.