Uganda: Poachers Nabbed With Police Guns
Gerald Tenywa
22 March 2009

Kampala — WHILE policemen are meant to protect citizens and their property, Kasese policemen have been accused of hiring out their guns to poachers in Queen Elizabeth National Park.


Recently, authorities at the park arrested eight poachers and recovered a gun hired from a policeman attached to Bwera Police post in Kasese district.

This follows another case where two policemen, Charles Mwazi and Geoffrey Muhindo, were nabbed hiring out their guns to a poacher, Jackson Kasoni.

Dickens Kagarura, a prosecutor working with the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), said Kasoni used the gun hired from the Police in a number of poaching operations between December 24, 2008 and February 13, 2009.

"By the time we got wind of it, the poacher had killed a buffalo and two hippos in Queen Elizabeth National Park," said Kagarura.

He added: "It is strange that guns are turned on the wild animals they are supposed to protect. Wild treasures attract tourists and contribute a lot of money to the country."

The policemen were fined sh25,000 each.

"We are contesting the the sentence because it was lenient and not based on the law," said Kagarura.

He said another incident in which a third policeman was recently nabbed while hiring out his gun was evidence that harsh punishments should be meted out to the offenders.


Kagarura said he was working with the authorities at the park to pursue the new case. He added the suspects would soon be handed over to the Police.

Hippos are listed under appendix two of the red data list of the World Conservation Union meaning that they will become extinct if nothing is done to protect them from poachers.

Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of the largest sanctuaries of antelopes and buffaloes.

UWA's chief Moses Mapesa recently warned against eating game meat, saying the people risked catching diseases.