The presence of a weed in Koboko and neighboring districts such as Maracha, Yumbe, and some portions of Arua is believed to be damaging livestock and crops.
Muki Kizito, the Koboko Municipality agriculture officer, stated that they have had numerous complaints from farmers about this weed known locally as Garamba. Farmers claim that if this weed is consumed by goats during the gestation phase, the pregnancy is terminated immediately.
"We discovered this issue while doing farmer training," Muki explained. Among the issues that farmers face is this one."
"In my experience, my goats began to miscarry the kids, and when I engaged other farmers, they asked me if I had this plant around my compound?" said one farmer. I did."
According to Muki, this weed smothers pastures, limiting grazing areas and crucial grass growth.
He is especially concerned because "where it has grown, you cannot plant anything, its all over and the more you uproot it, the more it spreads, we don't know what can be done."
Wilson Sanya, the mayor of Koboko municipality, stated that the invasive weed poses a major threat to human life.
He explained, "When it pricks you, you feel pain, and eventually you get a scar, and when it touches the skin, it itches."
Muki said that for the time being, they are urging farmers to treat the weed chemically or mechanically while they wait for the government to intervene through the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries.
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