About KKAKKA Community Wildlife Association
who we are
KKAKKA Community Wildlife Association U Ltd is a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation and sustainable management of wildlife and natural resources in North Karamoja and East Acholi regions of Uganda.
Vision
To be a leading community-based organization that promotes the sustainable conservation and management of wildlife and natural resources in North Karamoja and East Acholi regions.
Mission
To empower local communities to actively participate in the protection, restoration, and sustainable utilization of wildlife and natural ecosystems for the benefit of present and future generations.
Objectives
Promote community-based conservation and natural resource management
Enhance sustainable livelihoods and income-generating activities for local communities
Raise environmental awareness and foster a culture of environmental stewardship
Collaborate with stakeholders to influence policies and advocate for the rights of local communities
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Conserving Nature, Empowering Communities
initiatives
Our Key Programs
Meet Your Hosts

Godfrey Lotyang
A story about locally driven wildlife conservation, by Godfrey Lotyang and Albine Loris from Karamoja region.
Before Kidepo became a protected area, our people used to hunt animals in a very sustainable way. There was no indiscriminate killing. We only hunted animals based on our needs. We were careful about not killing young animals—just the larger ones.Â
But around the 1960s, poaching began. People—mostly youngsters who were not concerned about conservation—would kill the animals to sell or present as gifts to important officials. This occurred more as the population in the area grew.
But with the creation of the national park and an increase in tourism, there is now more knowledge about the importance of conserving these animals, and Community Wildlife Scout groups have been formed to manage human-wildlife conflict. In fact, some of the scouts are ex-poachers that now protect wildlife because they feel ownership for, and benefits from, the game in their area. They are very knowledgeable about the bush and how to prevent poaching activities.
Besides poaching, a critical issue that the Scouts deal with is wildlife like elephants and buffalo eating crops from the community gardens. This can be very devastating for communities and creates conflict. In the last few years, with the help of the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and the USAID Biodiversity for Resilience (B4R) activity, community scouts were trained on how to mitigate human-wildlife conflict. For example, they taught us to mix cow dung and grass with chilis and burn it, which elephants don’t like and keeps them away from the crops. We also use vuvuzelas and bangers (metal boxes) to make noise that scare away the animals. As scouts, we also demonstrate the techniques to travelers that are interested in learning about our work.
We found that Western technology was making our people forget about their cultural heritage, like dancing and storytelling, so we have been working hard to maintain these traditions in our community so they are not lost. Our dances and stories are important because they teach skills and lessons to children—like how they should not steal and how they must stay in school.
Dances also provide great entertainment, especially on special occasions. Traditionally, when men would return from the hunt, they would be welcomed by groups of dancing girls and women that would celebrate their bravery. Storytelling also allows us to compare how things were in the past and how they are today. That helps us to decide which traditions and practices we must keep and which should be adopted.
While reviving our traditional dance and storytelling, we have found that they are also of interest to visitors. Many travelers like to see our dances after they do their game drives. Sometimes they learn things that they take back home to their countries. We are very proud to show and share these traditions with visitors. Also, performing the dances helps bring us income. We use this to buy new musical instruments and for other useful purposes that keeps our traditions alive in the community.

Rosemary Ojambo
