It has gone bananas with a real monkey business in Mubende that has the district councillors on the edge.
The primates leisurely take their strolls at the district headquarters in Mubende Municipality to the chagrin of the councillors.
Samuel Mayanja, councillor for East Division, said the monkeys are always in offices which scares workers, hence resulting in poor services.
“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.
Mayanja appealed to the Uganda Wildlife Authority to trap these monkeys, saying it was the first time to see Monkeys invading the district headquarters.
Ms Aisha Ayebare, also a district councillor for Kigando Sub-county, said the monkeys have on several occasions destroyed documents in offices.
“Our district is about to lose important documents because these monkeys always enter offices and take some documents,” said Ms Ayebare.
“Many times these monkeys disorganise our engagement meetings because once they enter into the meetings everyone runs away,” she added.
Mr Julius Nkobazambogo, a councillor for Butoloogo, blames the district heads for not clearing the bush which surrounds the headquarters saying it is the reason monkeys have been attracted.
“Outbuildings and the entire headquarters are bushy which means monkeys cannot be controlled from entering offices,” says Nkobazambogo.
The councillors are worried that the monkeys might transmit diseases to them.
Ronald Loteti, the natural resource officer for Mubende District, says the invasion of monkeys is a result of increased deforestation in the district, leaving monkeys without places to live.
“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 said the type of monkeys at the district headquarters are not dangerous to humans saying councillors shouldn’t worry.
“Here at the district we have velvet monkeys which are not dangerous to humans and we have preparations of engaging Uganda Wildlife Authority to come take them,” he said.
“The only reason they are here is because we the district have conserved our trees.”
Loteti urged people to embrace afforestation because most forests have been cut down without minding about 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.
