The Uganda Wild Life Authority (UWA) has decried dwindling operational funds during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Mr.Bashir Hangi, the UWA Communications Manager says they will soon need a boost if the COVID-19 pandemic is to continue, since it is operating on dwindling savings of about 60 billion Uganda shillings that can only run UWA for less than one year.
UWA is losing an average of UGX 7 billion per month as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.
Mr. Hangi says UWA gets funds from collections, donations and subventions, not the consolidated fund, and therefore some of the departments like tourism have been suffocated due to lack of cash inflow, to allow for protection of wild life, operations and monitoring of wild life species. Mr. Bashir on UWA Funds ;….
Potius Ezuma, the in-charge officer at Queen
Elizabeth National park says the COVID -19 lockdown has empowered the law
enforcement department even without tourists coming.
He says this has increased in the protection of
the park, wildlife against anti-poaching activities. Out of the 383 staff 350
are working on law enforcement while 33 none permanent staff were laid off. Ends.