The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has announced plans to deploy Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) soldiers in and around Mt Elgon National Park as part of efforts to strengthen conservation and protect the park from continued encroachment.
The move comes amid growing concern over illegal activities inside the protected area, including cultivation, tree cutting and poaching, which conservation officials say are threatening one of Uganda’s most fragile ecosystems. Mt Elgon National Park, which stretches across Bugisu and Sebei sub-regions, has for years been at the centre of recurring disputes between park authorities and neighbouring communities over boundary demarcation and access to resources.
Speaking during a stakeholders’ engagement ahead of the official launch of the Mbale Satellite Centre of the Uganda Wildlife Education and Conservation Centre (UWECC) in Mbale City recently, the UWA Commissioner for Community Conservation, Mr David Musingo, said the authority had sought support from the military to reinforce conservation efforts. Mr Musingo said the UPDF officers, who are currently undergoing training under the 3rd Division in Moroto, would help secure the park and support the enforcement of conservation laws.
‘People want to cut trees and others want to cultivate crops, knowing very well that it is a protected area. We are going to properly mark the boundaries so that our people do not get into trouble. Here we are going to add guns because the people want a hard way. We have invited 4,000 UPDF soldiers to join us to protect Mt Elgon,’ he said.
Justification
He added that UWA personnel had endured years of attacks while carrying out their duties. ‘Our rangers have been speared and others have been killed. I know our people have also been harassed. We are going to quickly use a gun and it will be a bit harder because we cannot watch when our people are being killed,’ Mr Musingo said. Despite supporting stronger enforcement measures, the commissioner emphasised that education and community engagement remained the most sustainable solutions to conservation challenges.
He explained that the newly established Mbale Satellite Centre would serve as a hub for wildlife education and sensitisation, helping communities understand the importance of conservation and the economic opportunities associated with tourism. ‘For me, I believe in the reduction of guns and increasing what you call educators. We need to create harmony, and that is why this centre has been opened,’ he said. Mr Musingo also raised concern over the disappearance of black-and-white colobus monkeys from parts of Mt Elgon National Park, attributing the decline to hunting for traditional Imbalu circumcision regalia.
‘We have lost all the black-and-white colobus monkeys in some areas because of hunting for Imbalu attire. We need to repopulate them again,’ he said. The stakeholders’ meeting also focused on the progress of the new Mbale Wildlife Centre, a facility that UWA officials believe will boost tourism in eastern Uganda and provide an important platform for conservation education.
Located along the Mbale-Tororo highway, the centre has been under construction since 2024. Most of the structures have already been completed, and several animals, including lions, monkeys, leopards, zebras, waterbucks, an ostrich and peacocks, have already been introduced.
The facility is being managed by the Uganda Wildlife Education and Conservation Centre and is expected to function both as a zoo and an educational centre. According to Mr Musingo, the project is intended to attract visitors to eastern Uganda and encourage them to explore other tourism destinations within the Bugisu and Sebei regions. ‘We have brought this facility to bring development to the region. It is going to spur tourism because animals themselves are a teaching aid,’ he said. He noted that Mbale’s strategic location near the Kenyan border and along major transport routes positions it well to benefit from regional tourism.
Mr Musingo revealed that tourism earnings from Bugisu remain significantly lower than those recorded in some of Uganda’s more established tourism destinations. ‘Few tourists are going to Mt Elgon National Park. I saw figures of about Shs10 million a year, yet in places such as Bwindi and Murchison Falls people are getting close to Shs1 billion,’ he said. UWA officials argue that expanding tourism infrastructure and increasing awareness about the region’s attractions could help close the gap. Acting Chief Warden of Mt Elgon National Park Godfrey Matanda backed the proposed military deployment, saying wildlife rangers had suffered repeated attacks while protecting the park.
‘More than 30 rangers have been injured and about five have died. We cannot continue like this. The guns are coming to keep the mountain safe, and for many years UWA has suffered so much in the hands of the locals,’ Mr Matanda said. The tourism sector has welcomed the development of the Mbale Wildlife Centre. Mr Saleh Naminya, the Chief Executive Officer of Casa Uganda Safaris and Lodges, said eastern Uganda had long struggled with limited tourism product development despite possessing significant attractions.
‘We now have an opportunity to add this unique wildlife centre to our coffee tourism and cultural experiences. Besides the animals, the setup gives visitors an opportunity to see wildlife in a more natural environment. This is the opportunity we have been waiting for,’ he said.
Benefits of centre
Mr Naminya said the facility would create opportunities for hotels, tour operators and entrepreneurs across the region. ‘To the hotel industry, it is a business opportunity, and for entrepreneurs, more opportunities are going to come up. This is a great opportunity but also exposure for our children,’ he said. Mr Moses Buyera, the head teacher of Mbale Secondary School, said the centre would reduce the costs schools incur when organising educational tours to Entebbe.
‘For schools in Mbale, this has answered the question of where children will be going for tours because we have been hiring buses, incurring a lot of costs and enduring long journeys to reach Entebbe. We hope all the animals will be here so that people will not have a reason to move to Kampala,’ he said. UWA officials also used the meeting to remind communities about regulations governing wildlife management. Mr Annuel Ainemagara, an animal keeper at UWA, warned residents against keeping wild animals without licences or attempting to rescue wildlife without authorisation.
‘It is only UWA-trained rangers and animal keepers who are authorised to conduct wildlife rescues in communities. One of the advantages of having this zoo in the community is that we shall also be rehabilitating animals, and we expect the community to cooperate,’ he said. Some participants, however, raised concerns that require attention if conservation efforts are to succeed.
Mr Mike Mungoma Matepe, a resident of Bulambuli District, appealed to UWA to help communities address increasing crop destruction by birds, particularly among rice farmers.
Retired entomologist and former Makerere University lecturer Peter Kiwuso said there was a need for extensive public awareness campaigns to address fears and misconceptions surrounding the wildlife centre. ‘Some people are saying they are bringing lions to terrorise people and their domestic animals. On the issue of the colobus monkey, we also need to provide alternatives for Imbalu headgear and tails,’ he said.
Mr Dan Mirembe, the officer-in-charge of the Mbale Wildlife Centre, said management plans to introduce additional species, including the Laurent frog, a rare amphibian found only on Mt Elgon and currently facing extinction threats. He urged communities living near protected areas to adopt farming practices that minimise human-wildlife conflict.
‘Communities should learn to adapt to living near conservation areas by planting crops that are not commonly eaten by animals,’ he said.