On the night of July 5, Immaculate Kiconco heard dogs bark and thought they had only been startled by the sound of a vehicle moving over speed bumps near her home.

The following morning, she woke up to bad news. Ten of her laying chicken had been stolen.

Kiconco, a resident of Kigarama Upper in Bisheshe Division in Ibanda district, told the area Police that the night-time thieves took the bigger fowls and left behind the smaller ones.

Elsewhere in the same division, Dennis Bariyo lost five goats to thieves on Monday night this week.

There was no trace of the livestock in either of the reported two cases.

But such thefts could soon end, following a ban by Ibanda district authorities on the transportation of animals at night.

Ibanda resident district commissioner (RDC) Joseph Drake Mukiibi said some wrong elements have been using the cover of darkness to ferry stolen animals out of the district.

The ban on such movement seeks to curb the rising cases of animal theft in the district, he told New Vision in his office on Friday (July 14).

As the RDC, Mukiibi is the head of security in the district.

"The district security committee that sat on Wednesday, July 12 resolved to stop the movement of livestock at night following a public outcry over increasing theft of animals," he said.

Mukiibi said the local authorities are reinforcing an already existing law on the same.

It is understood that the Police have begun mounting roadblocks along major roads across the district and will be looking out for, among other things, offenders of the latest directive.

The RDC revealed that the Police have impounded reportedly stolen animals over the past few weeks, some of which were ferried from Mbarara district.

Owners of the stolen animals prefer out-of-court settlements, which he said is derailing efforts to curb the crime.

"However, we have brought the court and state prosecutor on board so that these criminals can be charged with capital offences since they always move with dangerous weapons like pangas [machetes], iron bars and knives," said Mukiibi.

The leaders are also sensitising the community to be security-conscious and safeguard their homes and property.

Besides that, there are ongoing security meetings with local leaders, technical people, the GISOs and officers-in-charge at the various police posts in the district.

Also, part of such meetings are vets, sub-county chiefs, LC3 chairpersons, the courts and the production department at the district and municipality levels.

Kiconco, Bariyo and the other victims of livestock theft hope the intervention by the district security committee can ensure that people's property is much safer.