Our target is to Recruit 800 Game Rangers this year- Sam Mwandha, UWA ED

In his dialogue with the Parliamentary forum on conservation and Sustainable tourism at Paraa Safari lodge in Murchison falls conservation area, Mr. Sam Mwandha, the Executive Director of Uganda Wildlife Authority, revealed to the legislators, their plans of recruiting additional rangers.

According to Mr. Mwandha, if all goes as planned, the advertising of about 800 jobs will be published in all media by March this year and priority will be strictly on district basis.

“All Ugandans both male and female who are above 18 and not exceeding 30years are eligible,” the E.D added while clarifying the question of gender and eligibility.

In the exchange that lasted 3 hours, the legislators tasked the executive director to give them take-home points including the revised budget needed to improve the wildlife conservation areas because at this point, they had experienced all the challenges they face in regards to national parks.

In his remarks, the African Wildlife Foundation country coordinator, Sudi Mr. Bamulesewa who also attended this dialogue, revealed their plans as the foundation to bring in canine units from Holland by mid this year to also help in securing conservation areas from poachers who lately have been the top threat to wildlife.

Mr. Wilson Kagoro, one of the top security personnel at Murchison falls, said they hope that by mid this year they would have covered at least 40km with an electric fence all this with the aim of mitigating human-wildlife conflicts. He, however, assured these legislators that the Authority surely compensates all those that are harmed by wildlife unexpectedly.

The Uganda Wildlife Authority with support from African Wildlife Foundation organized an exposure visit for Members of Parliament on the Forum on Conservation and Sustainable tourism with an aim of gaining knowledge on anti-poaching measures, tourism infrastructure, human-wildlife conflict mitigation, and other concerns happening in the wildlife.