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June 12, 2026
By Abraham Lincolns | Kampala
Lawmakers recommended and raised the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) budget ceiling to UGX 240 billion against the authority targeted UGX 290 billion operational budget for the 2026/2027 financial year.
UWA’s revenue collection strategies set an operational target of UGX 290 billion to support the upgrade of conservation areas and primarily focusing on critical needs, such as a UGX 92 billion allocation for salaries and benefits, UGX 30 billion for constructing electric fences in parks, and UGX 10 billion for human-wildlife conflict compensation.
Earlier, the Authority had also requested funding to purchase a helicopter for aerial monitoring and veterinary rescues and quick response to wildlife emergencies to animals injured by poachers. While government allocations and internal non-tax revenue targets have raised, the Auditor General noted that poor concession governance led to over UGX 18.8 billion in uncollected revenues during previous fiscal periods.
Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) had earlier identified four key focus areas that would help the organization achieve its target and this would mark a 2.8% increase from the 1.030 trillion allocated the previous 2025/2026 fiscal year.
Speaking to the Second Opinion, the UWA Executive Director Dr. James Musinguzi, the increased revenue targets for the Authority is a critical pillar in Uganda’s medium-term economic strategy, which aims to quadruple tourism foreign exchange earnings from $1.025 billion to $4 billion.
“The increased financial capacity directly impacts the tourism sector and the broader economy by expanding infrastructure, boosting local livelihoods, and scaling conservation efforts” Musinguzi stated. He urged that the Authority intends to upgrade visitor facilities, maintain roads in national parks, improve ranger welfare, and modernize digital revenue and surveillance systems.
“With a higher budget, UWA can invest in creating new tourism products such as developing new chimpanzee tracking sectors in areas like Bwindi to complement existing attractions and increase the average length of visitor stays,” Dr. Musinguzi added
He emphasized that upgrading conservation areas attract credible private investors to develop high-end lodges and competitive tourism services impacting on the broader economy and foreign exchange earnings.
It is notably justified that over 75% of Uganda’s tourism is nature-based and a well-funded UWA directly drives the international tourist demand required to hit ambitious national economic targets.
Further more, the expanded budgets translate into higher disbursements for the UWA revenue-sharing scheme where neighbouring districts will receive conditional grants directly from park revenues to fund community healthcare, education, and infrastructure, thereby reducing human-wildlife conflicts.
Increased tourism activity and park management operations directly employ thousands in hospitality, transport, and conservation roles while the increased budget is to focus on significant economic progress.
Musinguzi added that UWA is to ensure fast and transparent compensation for communities facing crop damage to maintain local cooperation and safeguarding natural ecosystems and maximize long-term economic prosperity.
In efforts to decentralize conservation education in Uganda, Dr. Musinguzi said the funds are to help in implementing the program adding that UWA exists to manage and protect wildlife, including plants and animals, both inside and outside protected areas
“We believe conservation cannot succeed without involving communities since they live adjacent to
protected areas. They must be included so that we can work in partnership to manage problem
animals,” Musinguzi added.
