Uganda Wildlife Authority


The Uganda Wildlife Authority is a semi-autonomous Ugandan government agency that aims to conserve, manage and regulate Uganda’s wildlife. "UWA is mandated to ensure sustainable management of wildlife resources and supervise wildlife activities in Uganda, both within and outside the protected areas". As of April 2020, UWA manages ten national parks, twelve wildlife reserves, and fourteen wildlife sanctuaries. UWA also provides guidance for five community wildlife areas. It is governed by a board of trustees appointed by the Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, currently Tom Butime.

Location

The headquarters of UWA are located at Plot. 7, Kira Road, in the neighborhood called Kamwookya, in the Central Division of the city of Kampala, Uganda's capital. The UWA headquarters building is sandwiched between the Uganda Museum to the west and the British High Commission to the east, along Kira Road. The geographical coordinates of this location are:0°20'10.0"N, 32°35'01.0"E.

Governance

Board of Trustees

The agency is governed by a nine-person board of trustees, appointed by the Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities. The current board, which was appointed in March 2018, is chaired by Benjamin Otto, a former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism. The board serves for three years. The table below lists all the board members.
RankNamePositionRoleNotes
1Benjamin OttoFormer PS, Ministry of Tourism  Chairman
2Gladys Kalema-ZikusokaCEO of Conservation Through Public HealthMember
3Mani KhanDirector of Operations at MARASDA GroupMember
4Captain John Emily OtekatFormer Deputy Director of Operations at UWAMember
5Boniface ByamukamaChairman of the Association of Uganda Tour Operators Member
6Grace Aulo MbabaziCommissioner for Tourism in the Ministry of TourismMember
7Janat Akorimoe AkechFormer Member of ParliamentMember
8Michael AliyoSenior Economist, Ministry of FinanceMember
9Sam MwandhaExecutive Director of UWABoard Secretary

Management

On 26 March 2018, Sam Mwandha, who was previously employed at UWA in the early 2010s, officially assumed the office of executive director of Uganda Wildlife Authority, succeeding Dr. Andrew Seguya, who had served two consecutive three-year terms in that office.

History

The UWA was established in August 1996 by the Uganda Wildlife Statute, which merged the Uganda National Parks Department with the Uganda Game and Fisheries Department. In 2000, the Statute became an Act of parliament. The Act was amended in 2019 into the Uganda Wildlife Act, 2019.