UWA collects Shs 69 billion in the financial year 2021/22, visitors increase to over 200,000

The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has revealed that it has collected Shs 69 billion in the financial year 2021/22 compared to Shs 21 billion in the financial year 2020/21.

The authority also noted that visitor numbers to their protected areas increased to 265,539 compared to 103,812 visitors in the previous financial year.

In his end of year message, Sam Mwandha, the executive director at the authority said 2022 has been a great year in which they registered impressive milestones for their conservation work.

“We signed three concession agreements to develop high-end tourism accommodation facilities in Murchison Falls National Park and Kyambura Wildlife Reserve in the Queen Elizabeth Protected Area, “he said.

These, according to the authority, will offer much-needed services to high-end visitors who love luxury.

Mwandha said the signing of these agreements is a vote of confidence in their work and Uganda as a destination.

On the strategic front, Mwandha said they have placed a lot of emphasis on strengthening wildlife protection, tackling wildlife crime, mitigating the negative impacts of human wildlife conflict, and promoting their protected areas as tourist destinations.

“We have been aggressive in strengthening our relationships with the communities neighbouring protected areas and continued to share benefits. We disbursed shs 9.5 billion revenue share to our communities,” he noted.

He stated that they also responded to 6,872 out of 7,861 reported cases of human-wildlife conflicts, constructed 45.4 kilometres of electric fence, added 12 vehicles to their fleet, and cleared 2,220 hectares of invasive species.

“We opened 117 kilometres of fire lines and commissioned a fully equipped biosafety level II laboratory in Queen Elizabeth National Park. So far, a total of 600 samples have been tested in the laboratory, “he said.

The authority also conducted 19,360 patrols across the country, arrested 2,837 suspects, and recovered 26,578 assorted poaching implements and assorted wildlife and wildlife products.

“We secured 133 convictions out of the 304 cases that we prosecuted in the courts of law while many are still ongoing. These achievements would not have been possible without the support of our stakeholders, especially the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife, and Antiquities, conservation partners, tour and hotel operators as well as the media,"he said.

The authority has continued to engage its stakeholders through formal and informal interactions and they have been instrumental in shaping how it operates through getting the feedback.