By Abdu Kimera
The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) on Wednesday handed over Shs3.1Bn to the communities neighboring Queen Elizabeth, Kibale, Rwenzori Mountains, and Semuliki National Parks.
This according to UWA board of trustees is to ensure that the protected areas provide life-changing gains for the people who depend on them the most while also stimulating conservation-led economies.
In the bid to increase community relationships and the conservation of Wildlife in Uganda, UWA through the Wildlife Act provides for 20% of gate entry fees to be shared with communities surrounding protected areas with an aim of making them feel the positive impact of conservation.
The revenue-sharing cheques were handed over by the Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities Rtd. Col. Tom Butiime in Kasese town in presence of district leaders that surround these protected areas.


All the 13 districts that surround the protected areas through their leaders shared a percentage of these funds which according to UWA are for community development in their respective areas.
The event happened in the presence of UWA board of trustees chairman Dr. Panta Kasoma and Executive Director Sam Mwandha who are attending the stakeholder’s engagement that was organized by the Queen Elizabeth Conservation area.
In this workshop, attendees are to also discuss an action report on the resolutions of 2021 and also the new follow-up issues by stakeholders in 2021.


On the media launch of UWA’s silver jubilee in Kampala in June, Sam Mwandha the Executive Director revealed that a total of UGX 21.4 billion was distributed amongst different parishes that border several protected areas across the country in 2019 but it was due to the pandemic that these efforts came at a standstill.
The ED on the event also called upon Ugandans to increase protection of the environment in their capacity as their targets lately are to increase Wildlife populations, address human-wildlife populations, and biological management of vegetation.
