The Director of Finance and Administration at Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), Jimmy Mugisa, is among a dozen senior officials detained as the State deepened investigations into the pilfering of billions of shillings in gorilla and chimpanzee trekking permit scandal.
The Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) has detained several top officials from UWA in connection with the multi-billion-shilling gorilla permit scandal that has rocked the tourism sector.
Besides Mr Mugisa, Sanya Masaba, Director of Tourism and Business Development; Alfred Dhikusooka Emanule, Manager ICT; and Leslie Muhindo, Head of Reservation are also in deep trouble.
The suspects are being held at police stations in Wandegeya, Kira Division, and Nateete, pending formal charges of corruption, abuse of office, and causing financial loss.
The detained officials were part of a network that diverted revenue from gorilla trekking permits through forged documents and recycled receipts.
The scheme is believed to have cost the authority at least Shs9 billion over the past two years.
The arrests come nearly two years after the permit scandal first came to light, with UWA later relieving some of the officials found to have failed the wildlife watchdog.
CID sources revealed that the suspects were initially summoned for questioning but were detained after providing what investigators termed “unsatisfactory explanations” for the missing revenues.
As part of the ongoing investigation, detectives have seized computer servers and financial documents from UWA headquarters in Kamwokya.
The evidence is expected to shed light on how permit data and payment systems were manipulated, reportedly in collusion with some private tour operators.
The Auditor General’s forensic audit, ordered after major discrepancies were discovered in UWA’s accounts, confirmed irregularities in primate-tracking permit records.
Parliament’s Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises subsequently directed further scrutiny of UWA’s revenue management systems.
CID insiders say more arrests are expected as the probe expands to include additional officials from UWA’s finance, IT, and tourism departments.
