Mubende district councillors are on edge as monkeys increasingly invade the district headquarters, causing significant disruptions. The primates have been spotted roaming freely inside the offices, to the chagrin of employees and officials.
Samuel Mayanja, councillor for East Division, expressed concern over the frequent presence of monkeys in offices. “We always find these monkeys in offices, and when someone is on a computer doing some work, the monkeys scare them while trying to enter into offices through windows,” Mayanja said. He appealed to the Uganda Wildlife Authority to trap the monkeys, noting this is the first time such an invasion has occurred at the district headquarters.
Ms. Aisha Ayebare, councillor for Kigando Sub-county, highlighted the monkeys’ destructive behavior. “Our district is about to lose important documents because these monkeys always enter offices and take some documents,” Ayebare said. She added that the monkeys often disrupt engagement meetings, causing attendees to flee.
Mr. Julius Nkobazambogo, councillor for Butoloogo, blamed the district’s bushy surroundings for attracting the monkeys. “Our buildings and the entire headquarters are bushy, which means monkeys cannot be controlled from entering offices,” Nkobazambogo said.
Ronald Loteti, the natural resource officer for Mubende District, attributed the invasion to increased deforestation, which has left the monkeys without natural habitats. “When you look at all places surrounding the district, trees have been cut, which means that these monkeys resorted to areas where trees are still existing,” Loteti said. He assured councillors that the velvet monkeys at the district headquarters are not dangerous to humans and mentioned ongoing plans to engage the Uganda Wildlife Authority for assistance.
Loteti also urged residents to embrace afforestation to mitigate such problems in the future. “We encourage our people to plant trees because we are now witnessing dry spells in the country, and it is because we have cut down trees,” he added.
