Kampala – Trading in ivory and other wildlife species could attract a penalty of 20 years imprisonment or a fine worth the value of the species on international market if the new Wildlife Act is passed by Parliament.
Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) executive director Andrew Gunga Seguya said they have already made amendments in the Act to include tougher penalties because the available laws are weak.
“We recently impounded rhino pieces yet we last had rhinos in 1978 showing Uganda is being used as a conduit to transport wildlife species because of weak laws that we want to put an end to,” he said at a press conference at UWA offices on Friday.
He said the reviewed law and amendment Act is at Cabinet level and will soon be tabled by Parliament for approval.
The authority boss noted that there was a global concern on increasing illegal wildlife trafficking and illegal killing of wildlife, citing the recent ranger who was killed at Toro/Semiliki Wildlife Reserve.
The British High Commissioner to Uganda, Ms Alison Blackburne, said the illegal trade is worth billions of shillings per year according to the UN office on drugs and crime.
“There is also a risk that insurgent or terrorist groups could benefit from the trade,” she said.
The ambassador said the High Commission in Kampala has provided geo-location cameras and solar panels for new anti-poaching ranger stations to be set up in Murchison Falls Conservation Area. – Monitor
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