By Frank Kamuntu|Mr Swift
The Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities has called for stronger inter-agency collaboration to combat wildlife and forest crimes in Uganda, emphasising the need for coordinated enforcement, intelligence sharing and effective prosecution.
The call was made during a high-level meeting of the National Anti-Wildlife Crime Coordination Task Force held at Hotel Africana in Kampala and hosted by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA). The meeting was chaired by the Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, Hon. Tom Butime.
The meeting brought together 14 agencies and 21 focal persons to review the task force’s achievements, address operational challenges and establish priorities for strengthening the protection of Uganda’s natural heritage.
The task force facilitates cooperation among law enforcement institutions through intelligence sharing, joint operations, prosecution support, public awareness campaigns and cross-border initiatives targeting illegal wildlife trade.
Addressing participants, Butime thanked the agencies for their commitment and stressed that no single institution could effectively combat wildlife crime without working closely with others.
He urged the task force to focus on measurable results through proactive planning, public education, intelligence gathering, protection of informants and thorough investigations to strengthen prosecution efforts.
The State Minister for Water and Environment, Hon. Aisha Sekandi, called for institutional reforms and stronger intelligence networks to improve the management of wildlife and forest crimes. She underscored the importance of forests as critical wildlife habitats and advocated for greater UWA involvement in managing forest reserves.
UWA Executive Director Dr James Musinguzi commended the participating agencies for their continued cooperation and recognised the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) for supporting conservation initiatives, including the development of a forensic laboratory in Entebbe to strengthen investigations and prosecutions involving wildlife and forest-related offences.
Musinguzi pledged continued training and capacity building for partner agencies, alongside the deployment of UWA personnel to selected border areas to work with immigration officers in tackling wildlife-related crimes.
He also called for sustained coordination, urging members to ensure the task force operates consistently rather than limiting its activities to occasional engagements.
UNODC representative to Uganda, Ms Aljandra Ueceda, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to conservation and commended the task force’s contribution to biodiversity protection, including efforts to safeguard Bugoma Central Forest Reserve.
At the conclusion of the meeting, participating agencies reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening collaboration through joint planning and co-funding of task force activities.
The renewed commitment is expected to improve coordination, enhance law enforcement and promote collective action against wildlife and forest crimes, helping safeguard Uganda’s biodiversity and natural heritage.