Cattle keepers in Kyere sub-county, Serere District, are displeased by the deliberate closure of the right of ways that lead animals to the grazing swamps by people who want to grow rice, which has caused a scuffle between the two communities.

According to the locals in Aminit and Ojama Villages, the cases of cattle tracks being blocked have been repeatedly reported to the authorities at the local council levels, but all in vain.

The locals allege that lower local council chairpersons are fearing the people blocking the cattle tracks since they have threatened to cause bloodshed. They add that this has forced them to resort to tying their animals to the flat land.

According to Serere District Land Officer Joseph Odongo, a cattle track is a third-party right of way for all parties and is an area gazetted for common use that no one has the right to block.

“Therefore, the district authorities should act by compelling the opening of the blocked cattle tracks in order to bring access to the swamp for legal use and human access across the other villages,” Odongo said.

Odongo added that the district authorities should also deploy security on the day of opening the blocked cattle tracks to prevent the likely bloodshed threatened by the victims during the lower local council authority sittings.

In Teso, cattle tracks were created purposely for animals to access grazing grounds and humans to access villages across swamps; therefore, the blockage has left locals struggling to graze on the upper lands, which are waiting for cultivation, giving nearby crops a probability of survival for harvest.