The arrest of officials at the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) stems from an extensive investigation into a major fraud scheme involving the highly lucrative gorilla permits.
The Scandal
The fraud involved a plot by UWA staff, primarily in the reservations, finance, and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) departments, to siphon off revenue by issuing fraudulent or “recycled” gorilla and chimpanzee tracking permits.
The scheme involved using authentic UWA receipts but manipulating the internal booking system. Junior staff allegedly blocked their bosses from accessing the system to prevent verification. In many cases, tour operators sent money directly to the implicated staff instead of banking the revenue into UWA accounts.
The estimated financial loss has varied in reports. UWA initially put the lost revenue at UGX 500 million, while parliamentary investigators later exposed transactions totalling over UGX 900 million (close to UGX 1 billion) transacted between April and September 2022. Some unconfirmed internal sources have suggested the loss could be as high as Shs 60 billion.
The Current Situation
According to the arrests and disciplinary action, the police, along with UWA’s internal audit department, launched a thorough probe.
- Current reports on October 23, 2025, indicate that 10 UWA officials had been arrested and were expected to be arraigned before the Anti-Corruption Court in Kampala on charges including corruption and causing financial loss to the government.
- Previously, the internal investigation had led to the suspension of 14 staff members, with four staff dismissed and one contract terminated after disciplinary hearings.
UWA has discarded the old, vulnerable booking system and procured a new one, valued at UGX 1.3 billion, to manage gorilla and chimpanzee permits and revenue collection, aiming to prevent future fraud.
However, the community impact of the fraud was seen to have damaged community-led conservation efforts, as funds from the permits—meant for conservation and community development projects—were diverted.
