Every day that passes, more swarms of locusts keep crossing over to Uganda from Kenya and invading more districts. By press time, locusts have invaded 24 districts in Uganda that include; Amudat, Nakapiripirit, Nabilatuk, Moroto, Kotido, Kaabong, Karenga, Abim, Otuke, Napak, Katakwi, Amuria, Soroti, Ngora, Kumi, Bukedea, Bukwo, Kween, Agago, Kitgum, Lamwo, and Pader among others.
Government through the Ministry of Disaster Preparedness with help from the Ministry of Agriculture purchased pesticides and other equipment to spray onto the locusts and their eggs, in an effort to curb their effect on crops and other types of vegetation.
There have been reports that Ugandans from the invaded areas see locusts as source of food, and have since gone on a locust collection spree from the trees and bushes, dry them, and then eat them, after all we told them the food nutrients locusts come with.
This poses serious health concerns, as the pesticides used to spray them are pretty much poisonous and not safe for human consumption.
“The pesticides being used during the aerial and ground spaying are deadly to humans, refrain from picking dead locusts and eating them,” Bright Rwamirama, State Minister for Animal Husbandry cautioned people in the invaded areas.