Wildlife Body Suspends Sport Hunting
Gerald Tenywa
7 November 2010


Kampala — INVESTORS in sport hunting in Uganda's game parks have up to January next year to stop shooting wild animals for fun.

This follows a resolution from the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) to cancel hunting concessions offered years ago to the wildlife reserves.

"We are concerned about the dwindling numbers of wild animals in the wildlife reserves. Hunting is prohibited," said Mark Kamanzi, the acting director of UWA.

"Instead of allowing animals to breed through game farming, the hunters were being offered hunting quotas (allocated areas)," said Kamanzi.

Other sources said the board agreed to cancel the hunting concessions in a recent meeting following concerns that animal populations in wildlife reserves were low and that concessionaires were shooting them down.

Animals offered for sport hunting include buffalos, bushbuck, bush pigs, warthogs, duikers, elands, impalas and oribis. Others are reedbucks, kobs, topis, waterbuck, leopards, hippopotamus and zebras.

Kamanzi said the decision would not affect private wildlife ranchers outside Lake Mburo National Park in western Uganda and parts of Luweero, Nakasongola and Nakaseke districts in central Uganda.

He, however, stressed that concessions offered in wildlife reserves such as Kabwoya in Hoima district, wildlife reserves in West Nile and parts of Karamoja region would be affected.


Asked how they would deal with the legal implications of their actions, Kamanzi said they were holding discussions with the investors, but most of the concessionaires had not invested heavily and that they would be compensated.

Assessing sport hunting, Kamanzi said UWA offered concessions of 20 years without regulations on hunting and monitoring mechanisms.

He added that the share of benefits were lopsided and unlikely to deter poaching or improve UWA's capacity to manage the wildlife reserves.

Uganda imposed a ban on hunting two decades ago, but re-introduced sport hunting amid protests from conservationists.

The wildlife managers, on the other hand, argued that the only way to save wildlife was to use it to attract the private sector to invest in the management of wildlife reserves.

They set up Lake Mburo National Park and Kabwoya as models.

What a load of old bollocks.

The "hunting suspension" article (above) is NOT a UWA official communication. In fact, it's NOT even responsible journalism. (If there is such a thing! )

The "ED" of UWA in that article is a just lawyer who has worked for UWA (legal dept) for the grand total of one year..... So much for his expertise in wildlife!


The Board of Trustees that appointed him has just been ruled illegal and incompetent by nothing less than the High Court in Kampala. Consequently this renders any and all appointments done by that Board null and void, including that of the aforementioned "ED".


They may challenge the ruling in the Court of Appeals, but betting on them staying in their present position for much longer would not be money well spent.


These guys have made some serious stuff ups that are not yet public and they are trying to embarrass a number of people who do not take embarrassment lightly.

This one is much more accurate: http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/...clq0n7z/-/index.html


Mapesa beats Otafiire in legal battle over UWA

By Ismail Musa Ladu & Alfred Nyongesa Wandera (email the author)

Posted Monday, November 8 2010 at 00:00

Kampala

The High Court has ruled that the current board of the Uganda Wildlife Authority was irregularly appointed and must be disbanded. In a ruling on Friday, Justice Yorokamu Bamwine said Trade Minister Kahinda Otafiire had appointed unqualified members to the board, including its chairman, Dr Boysier Oumar Muballe.

The ruling follows a petition by Mr Moses Mapesa, the sacked UWA chief together with his senior colleagues– Andrew Koluo and Apophia Atukunda, who accused the minister and the board of maliciously kicking them out.

The petitioners argued that the board meddled in the running of UWA and witch-hunted staff who opposed the board chairman’s poor management style.
They told the court that Dr Muballe and four other members of the board, including Masokoyi Wasswa and Jacob Oulanyah were unqualified to sit on UWA board and were mismanaging the wildlife body. Justice Bamwine ordered Gen. Otafiire to appoint the UWA board of trustees in accordance with the qualifications set out in the relevant legislation.

Board dissolved
The court also dissolved the Dr Muballe-led board and restrained them with immediate effect from acting in their current capacities. Justice Bamwine further ruled that Mr Mapesa and Ms Atukunda’s contracts were unlawfully terminated and awarded Ms Atukunda Shs30 million in damages for the dismissal.

However, the judge ruled that he could not grant Mr Mapesa all his unpaid emoluments for the five-year contract on the grounds that he had no valid contract that was terminated. But the judge added that he left the matter to the new properly constituted board to review Mr Mapesa’s credentials and decide whether or not to re-appoint him. Court ordered that the applicants’ costs be met by UWA.

Earlier, Parliament had also rejected Gen. Otafiire’s request to have them discuss a report on a forensic audit into UWA. The MPs described the report by Ernest and Young as “rubbish” and only aimed at justifying the minister’s irregular appointment of the UWA board which has plunged the hitherto progressive wildlife body into unprecedented management crisis.

The report inaugurated by Gen. Otafiire implicates Mapesa and some of his senior management team of corruption and mismanagement at UWA. But the MPs said the report was malicious and largely aimed at ensnaring Mr Mapesa.

The lawmakers also said the report is not binding because it was not sanctioned by the Auditor General and that it did not give hearing to the accused.

While sacking Mr Mapesa, Gen. Otafiire said he had failed to alert the authorities about the existence of rebels in Bwindi and Semliki parks in western Uganda. But MP John Emily Otekat defended Mr Mapesa saying: “Some people in the board working together with senior people in the ministry fired Mr Mapesa because they want to dip their hands into the money that is available at UWA.”

right again, Lane

More typical African logic and reasoning.

quote:

Originally posted by Use Enough Gun:
More typical African logic and reasoning.

No need to limit it to African, I have seen it in Mexico , SE asia and am sure it runs rampant in many other places. Its prevelence doesnt change its stupidity ao the harm it causes. I have had to pay too many vets for export papers to have to much trust in any beaurocrat.

SSR

quote:

I have had to pay too many vets for export papers

i'll bet they will allow you to spend thousands of dollars to take pictures

Yeah, and it will take hundreds of photo safaris to make up for the money generated by a dozen big game hunting safaris. OIA*

*Only In Africa

With all due respect to Kathi...that report is probably NOT very accurate and was EXTREMELY politically motivated. I know she is just reporting what is written and we all thank her for bringing news to our attention.

Sources on the ground tell a different story.

Not to say that there is no strife in UWA and between UWA and its superiors as there is. BUT...it is UNLIKELY that sport hunting will be suspended in Uganda.

Steve's report bears out the more correct circumstances.

If you want to book a safari in Uganda by all means do so...but book with an operator with GOOD REFERENCES and reputation. They are in touch with UWA daily, they have their finger on the pulse of the government, and they will not get you in a bind.

The problem with African politics and politicians is that they generate an awful lot of DISinformation which then gets very easily picked up by the more mainstream media both inside Africa and elswhere and then before we know it, we end up with something that (in this case) could easily destroy an entire new born industry.

I should say I blame the journalist who wrote the tripe rather than Kathi for posting it.

Uganda currently has relatively small quotas and there's more demand than there is supply but I'd encourage people who are interested, to rather wait another year if necessary than book with the wrong people.

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:

quote:

I have had to pay too many vets for export papers

No Worries Lane, I am speaking of the Mexican state vets that had to inspect the cattle prior to releasing them from State pens. We always have good US vets inspect them on this side.
(And some times A&M vets- )
An aside that is, as you know, why Texas and New Mexico have such a prob w/TB'\, brucellosis etc

Cordially from a Red Raider

SSR

quote:

Originally posted by Sevenxbjt:

About Uganda, really too bad since the wildlife will really be the losers now.

I think you might have hold of the wrong end of the stick.

The reported ban was completely unfounded and untrue.

If you check my first post on the subject, you'll see what I mean.

quote:

Originally posted by Cross L:

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:

quote:

I have had to pay too many vets for export papers

No Worries Lane, I am speaking of the Mexican state vets that had to inspect the cattle prior to releasing them from State pens. We always have good US vets inspect them on this side.
(And some times A&M vets- )
An aside that is, as you know, why Texas and New Mexico have such a prob w/TB'\, brucellosis etc

Cordially from a Red Raider

SSR

I hear you. My whole family is in the cattle business. And...I am the only one who did not graduate from Texas Tech. If Tech had of ever gotten a vet school I am sure I would have been a Red Raider Vet.

But...I graduated from the ONLY vet school in Texas and am now a PROUD AGGIE!

Bet you know some of my family!

quote:

About Uganda, really too bad since the wildlife will really be the losers now.

Justin

Justin,
What Steve said is correct. The ban is NOT in place (friend hunting there now) and UNLIKEY to ever happen.

La Mordida! Mexico is a lot like Africa.

Hey Justin,
By the way. The fellow who was on the front cover of that Sports Afield you and Graybird sent me is my friend who hunts in Uganda.

Hello,

My name is Astrid and I am a new member. I have been sending safaris to
Uganda since before Idi Amin came to power and have been booking safaris
into Uganda since hunting became legal in 2,000.

I sent all the very the first clients to hunt Uganda after Idi Amin was
ousted.

The current political differences within the UWA only affect government
concessions. The hunting at Lake Kacheera, popularly know as Lake Mburo,
has been ongoing for 10 years and will continue unabated for buffalo,
leopard, plains game, sitatunga and plains game, because the hunting
area is not a goverment concession.

It is 55 private ranches surrounding Lake Mburo National Park. There is
no game fencing of any kind. The animals are completly wild and spill
into the hunting area from the park.

There are at least 10,000 head of big game within the hunting area, now
more than in the park itself and they too are now spilling into outlying
areas beyond the hunting block.

Our clients have taken cape buffalo to 48.5 inches and waterbuck and
impala to 34 inches.

The only reason there is any hunting in any concession anywhere in
Uganda today is because of the success of the hunting program developed
at Lake Mburo by Kaka Matama.

Thanks for your reply Astrid, and I hope we will hear more from you in the future.
Who owns these Ranches? White or Black locals or international company's ?

Dear Oz Hunter,

The ranch owners are Africans who raise cattle for milk. Some are
Ministers in the Museveni government.

In the last ten years Kaka and his trackers have completely shut down
poaching and his biggest problem now is the exploding game populations.
The area has by far the densest game population of any hunting block in
Uganda.

This concentration of game has attracted many booking agents, photo
safari companies, hunting companies and research biologists who because
of the game want to claim the area for themselves even though none had anything
to do with the increase in game nor anything to do with the opening of
sport hunting in Uganda.

That was done entirely by Kaka Matama. Kaka has tried to use Zimbabwe
and South Africa as a model, that is keep the prices low to pick up to
develop a large client base so everybody including the ranchers gets a
bit of the pie so game keeps spilling out from the parks and more and
more blocks can be created.

It is a good idea to use a vehicle to hunt buffalo because you can go
from waterhole to waterhole to look for tracks but as far as plains game
goes you can do the whole safari just by walking out of camp. You don't
have to drive for mile after endless mile to see animals. Just stand on
a hill top with binoculars. Game is everywhere.

The biggest problem for the future of hunting in Uganda we see in the fact that
The authorities in charges may be tempted to follow the Tanzania model which
means to pay government taxes and royaties upfront as well as much higher daily rates.
If this happens it meansthat about 80 % of the hunting market will be eliminated.

At the moment the price level of Kaka is very reasonnable, e.g. a buffalo hunt
for 1x1 is USD 15.600 or for 2x1 USD 11.800 p.h. or
A sitatunga hunt ends up at USD 22.570 for 1x1 or at USD 17.370 p.h.for a 2x1.
These prices include all licence fees, transfers, trophy handling as well as shooting tax.

Astrid,

Thank you for jumping in and dispelling myth!

Kaka Matama, from my sources, has done a wonderful job and is a splendid gentleman!

We (Patrick Devy, Philip Chollet, Nigel Theisen, a few others, and myself) hope to do the same for the Karamoja Region around the very special Kidepo Valley National Park!

Dear Oz Hunter,

The ranch owners are Africans who raise cattle for milk. Some are
Ministers in the Museveni government.

In the last ten years Kaka and his trackers have completely shut down
poaching and his biggest problem now is the exploding game populations.
The area has by far the densest game population of any hunting block in
Uganda.

This concentration of game has attracted many booking agents, photo
safari companies, hunting companies and research biologists who because
of the game want to claim the area for themselves even though none had anything
to do with the increase in game nor anything to do with the opening of
sport hunting in Uganda.

That was done entirely by Kaka Matama. Kaka has tried to use Zimbabwe
and South Africa as a model, that is keep the prices low to pick up to
develop a large client base so everybody including the ranchers gets a
bit of the pie so game keeps spilling out from the parks and more and
more blocks can be created.

It is a good idea to use a vehicle to hunt buffalo because you can go
from waterhole to waterhole to look for tracks but as far as plains game
goes you can do the whole safari just by walking out of camp. You don't
have to drive for mile after endless mile to see animals. Just stand on
a hill top with binoculars. Game is everywhere.

The biggest problem for the future of hunting in Uganda we see in the fact that
The authorities in charges may be tempted to follow the Tanzania model which
means to pay government taxes and royaties upfront as well as much higher daily rates.
If this happens it meansthat about 80 % of the hunting market will be eliminated.

At the moment the price level of Kaka is very reasonnable, e.g. a buffalo hunt
for 1x1 is USD 15.600 or for 2x1 USD 11.800 p.h. or
A sitatunga hunt ends up at USD 22.570 for 1x1 or at USD 17.370 p.h.for a 2x1.
These prices include all licence fees, transfers, trophy handling as well as shooting tax.

I just talked to a friend in Uganda and was informed that the problems with UWA are well on there way to being sorted out and that Hunting will continue in all areas. It appears that some of the stories that where posted on this site along with other site has cause more problem due to there incorrect nature.

Good post astrid

quote:

Originally posted by astrid:

This concentration of game has attracted many booking agents, photo
safari companies, hunting companies and research biologists who because
of the game want to claim the area for themselves even though none had anything
to do with the increase in game nor anything to do with the opening of
sport hunting in Uganda.

Thank you astrid for the informative posts.

Do you have a list or know of where a list that can be obtained of outfitters etc that are licensed to operate in Uganda and do operate there?

Thanks.

Sounds like a wonderful place to go on safari to, one day.

Wildlife Authority Needs Leadership
17 November 2010


editorial

The Uganda Wildlife Authority is now technically without a board of directors and probably top management after court ruled that they were appointed irregularly.

Justice Yorokamu Bamwine declared recently that some of the current members of the board were unqualified, including its Chairman, Dr Boysier Oumar Muballe. He ordered for the dissolution of the board and the minister responsible to appoint a new one in accordance with the law.

One of the last bold acts of the now disbanded board was to fire the Executive Director, Moses Mapesa and two other senior staff, Andrew Koluo and Apophia Atukunda early this year.

The board then appointed a new executive director, whose authority now hangs in balance in light of the court decision. Meanwhile, the suspended officials challenged their dismissal in court, which has now ruled in their favour.

The petitioners successfully argued that the new board was needlessly interfering in the running of the public enterprise. It appears that the minister responsible and his handpicked board were so eager to remove the managers that private auditors were assigned to investigate the body and a report was promptly issued, raising allegations of impropriety.


But Parliament rejected this report, saying it was malicious and not cleared by the Auditor General. The report was also accused of not according its subjects the right of reply. To the minister and his UWA board, the end could justify the means. But no, in the interest of justice even the means must be justified.

In an editorial in August, we cautioned that while it was in order for those in charge to make changes where they deem fit, there was no justification to ignore the law or skip procedure, as was obviously the case in respect of suspected Mr Mapesa. If indeed he and his colleagues are guilty of the allegations made against them, the law should take its course.

Wildlife is a very sensitive sector, which is at the centre of Uganda's tourism boom and so it shouldn't be left in a vacuum for long. A lot can go wrong, including poaching, misappropriation of revenue and encroachment. Those responsible should, therefore, fill this vacuum as soon as possible.

The (more or less) pre-existing board will be re-appointed in relatively short order.

The country currently has a delicate, emerging hunting industry that could be easily damaged and these bloody gossip mongers up there who are trying to stir the shit have absolutely no idea how much damage they're doing to the country, the communities, the wildlife and the industry...... This damage is made worse by some of those stories then being picked up by innocent parties who (wrongly) assume what they read is the truth.

quote:

This damage is made worse by some of those stories then being picked up by innocent parties who (wrongly) assume what they read is the truth.

quote:
This damage is made worse by some of those stories then being picked up by innocent parties who (wrongly) assume what they read is the truth.


And what makes it even worse is when the stories are repeated even after they have been proved false. I have received several emails from friends who have seen stories that where reported over a month ago, and proven false. the damage just keeps getting worse.
Uganda could and will be a great hunting destination if people will cool there jets check there sores's and stop jumping on ever bogus report that hits the web or even the local papers in Uganda. check the facts with more than one person before reporting them.
Some people in the hunting industry are causing more problems and giving the anti's more credibility and ammo to restrict or ban hunting.

Lots of falsehoods and bullshit on the internet.

quote:

Originally posted by NitroX:

quote:

Originally posted by astrid:

This concentration of game has attracted many booking agents, photo
safari companies, hunting companies and research biologists who because
of the game want to claim the area for themselves even though none had anything
to do with the increase in game nor anything to do with the opening of
sport hunting in Uganda.

Thank you astrid for the informative posts.

Do you have a list or know of where a list that can be obtained of outfitters etc that are licensed to operate in Uganda and do operate there?

Thanks.

Sounds like a wonderful place to go on safari to, one day.

PS Thanks for the PMs suggesting outfitter names. Though does anyone have a link or information as to the official approved/licensed list?

Thanks in advance.

quote:

PS Thanks for the PMs suggesting outfitter names. Though does anyone have a link or information as to the official approved/licensed list?

Thanks in advance.

PM Philip A on AR and he can provide that info to you.

quote:

Originally posted by NitroX:
Lots of falsehoods and bullshit on the internet.

Mr. Hahn,

That is true!!! But...it did NOT dawn on me how true it was until I recently visited some other websites!