Kidepo Valley National Park is a large national park located in the Karamoja region of northeastern Uganda. It covers an area of 1,442 square kilometers (557 square miles) and includes rough grasslands at the base of Mount Morungole. The Kidepo and Narus rivers flow through the park.

Location

Kidepo Valley National Park is located near Karenga in Kaabong District in northeastern Uganda. The park is approximately 220 km (140 mi) by road northwest of Moroto, the largest town in the area. It is approximately 520 km (320 mi) by road northeast of Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city. The park's northwestern boundary runs along the international border with Bira, South Sudan, and is next to its Kidepo Game Reserve.

History

The Ik and Ketebo (or Mening) people are the original inhabitants of the area, living there since 1800. In 1958, the British colonial government declared the land a game reserve, and the people were forced to leave. The goal was to protect wildlife from hunting and to stop the clearing of land for controlling tsetse flies. The removal of the local people and the resulting famine were mentioned by anthropologist Colin Turnbull and park officials as an example of the serious problems that can occur when community needs are ignored during reserve creation.

In 1962, Uganda’s new government, led by Milton Obote, changed the reserve’s name to Kidepo Valley National Park.

In 1967, a luxury lodge was started on the Katurum kopje with help from a Swedish group. The original plan for 56 rooms was never finished. By 1978, the site was abandoned and damaged. It was later restored and opened with 100 rooms in 2019.

In 1972, Ian Ross, the last British chief warden of the park, handed over his role to Paul Ssali, a younger Ugandan. This event was shown in the 1974 American documentary film, "The Wild and the Brave."

Geology

The park includes the two major valley systems of the Kidepo and Narus Rivers. The valley floors range from 3,000 feet (910 m) to 4,000 feet (1,200 m) above sea level.

Kanangorok (also spelled Kananorok or Kanatarok) is a warm hot spring located in the very northern part of the park, near the border with South Sudan. This spring is the most reliable water source in the park.

The soil in the park is mostly clay. In the Kidepo Valley, black chalky clay and sandy-clay loam are common, while the Narus Valley has red clays and loams that drain water more easily.

Wildlife

Kidepo has more than 77 types of mammals and 476 types of birds. Most of the park is covered with open tree savanna. Because the amount of rain varies, with an average of 89 cm (35 in) in Narus and 64 cm (25 in) in the Kidepo valleys, the plants and animal life differ between the two valleys.

The name Narus comes from the Ketebo, Mening, or Amening Clan, which were the people who lived in the valley. The main grasses in the Narus Valley include shorter red oat grass, taller Guinea grass, and fine thatching grass. Common trees in drier areas are red thorn acacia trees, desert date trees, and fewer drumstick trees. Sausage trees and fan palms grow along the water channels. Euphorbia candelabrum, as well as shorter monkey bread and Buffalo thorn trees, are also found here.

Streams in the Kidepo Valley have palms growing along them, while whistling thorn acacia bushes grow in higher areas. Compared to the Narus Valley, this area is harder to reach and has had more problems with poaching and safety issues.

Park management

The park is managed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority. As of August 2013, the USAID was helping to improve roads within the park.

The park’s administration is led by a Chief Warden. The following individuals have held this position:

• 1958–1962: Tony Henley
• 1964–1974: Ian Ross
• 1974–1978: Paul Ssali
• –1981: Augustine Bendebule (died in an air crash in the park)
• 1994–: Peter Lotyang
• 1996: Anjelo Ajoka
• 1998 (acting): Daniel Aleper
• 2001–2002: Joseph Sentongo
• 2003–2006: Kuloao Okwongo
• Edward Asalu
• Capt. John Emille Otekat
• 2008: Henry Tusubira
• 2013: Johnson Masereka
• 2021: Samuel Amanya

In the fiscal year 2009–2010, the park received USh 294 million (about US$129,000 or €99,000) from 2,100 visitors. By the 2012–2013 fiscal year, this had increased to USh 466 million (about US$178,000 or €134,000) from 2,300 visitors.

Elephants in the Kidepo area were poached to extinction in the 1900s. At that time, the government of the Protectorate of Uganda did not control the Karamoja region, allowing poachers to hunt elephants for ivory trade through Kaabong to Ethiopia. Anti-poaching efforts helped elephants recover somewhat by 1951. In 2003, the population was estimated at around 400. By 2014, the number was between 407 and 552.

In the 1960s, Kidepo had a sustainable population of over 400 Rothschild giraffes. By 1992, poaching had reduced this number to only three animals, including one female. In 1997, Warden Peter Möller secured funding from the Frankfurt Zoological Society to move giraffes from Kenya’s Lake Nakuru National Park. One female died in a holding facility in Lake Nakuru. Two females and one male were transported to Kidepo. Shortly after release, one male was killed by lions.

In August 2018, 14 additional giraffes were moved to Kidepo from Murchison Falls National Park, where oil drilling threatened wildlife. This brought the estimated population to 48. By 2022, the population had grown to 89.

Hundreds of kob were moved to Kidepo. More than 100 were brought from Murchison Falls in 2017. In 2023, 200 more were translocated from Kabwoya Wildlife Reserve.

Rhinos once lived in the Kidepo area but were poached to extinction. From 1971 to 1978, their population dropped from 50 to 16, and the last rhino was seen in 1983. In March 2026, the Uganda Wildlife Authority moved four southern white rhinos from Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary to a protected area in Kidepo. This effort received support from Global Conservation, the Uganda Conservation Foundation, and other private groups. Additional rhinos, including some from Kenya, were expected to be brought to Kidepo.