Parliament Approves Merger of UWA and UWEC

Parliament has approved the Uganda Wildlife (Amendment) Bill, 2024 and the Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre Act (Repeal) Bill, 2024.

The bills seek to facilitate the merger of the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and the Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre (UWEC) Zoo.

House in session

According to the report presented by the committee on trade, the government is set to incur a one-off total cost of Shs1.334 billion as terminal benefits to be paid to staff during the merger process. However, it is projected that the merger will result in substantial savings of up to Shs15.1 billion in the fiscal year 2024/2025.

Additionally, amendments to the UWA Act, 2019 confer additional functions on the Authority to accommodate the merger with UWEC effectively.

Hon. Mwine Mpaka - Chairman Parliamentary Trade Committe

“Merging entities will not deal with the inefficiencies for as long as we don’t deal with human resource... Otherwise, we shall be merging problems.” Noted Leader of Opoosition Joel Ssenyonyi.

Addressing concerns raised by the Leader of Opposition, Hon. Joel Ssenyonyi, regarding potential human resource gaps resulting from the merger, Parliament's Tourism Committee provided insights into the workforce implications. It is reported that 64 staff members will be affected by the merger, with the government allocating UGX1.334 billion in terminal benefits.

LOP Joel Senyonyi

However, the merger is expected to yield substantial savings for the government, with projected savings amounting to UGX15.166 billion in the fiscal year 2024/25 and increasing to UGX16.5 billion in 2025/26.

Minister of Tourism, Wildlife, and Antiquities, Tom Butime, defended the merger, emphasizing the complementary roles of UWEC and UWA in wildlife management. He asserted that while the merger consolidates operations, the fundamental roles of both entities remain unchanged.