Fifteen officials from the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) have been charged with corruption and causing financial loss of more than Shs9.3 billion in connection with a scam involving fraudulent gorilla and chimpanzee tracking permits.
According to the charge sheet, investigators say the officials manipulated UWA’s online Go Chimp reservation system to issue thousands of fake permits between July 2020 and September 2023. The fake permits reportedly granted unauthorized access to several protected areas, leading to losses estimated at over USD 2.5 million.
The accused include both senior and mid-level officers from UWA’s finance, ICT, tourism, and reservations departments.
Those named in the case are Stephen Sanya Masaba, director of tourism and business development; Jimmy Mugisa, director of finance and administration; Robert Maani, senior warden of accounts; and Leslie Muhindo, former head of reservations. Others charged are ICT Manager Alfred Emmanuel Ndikusooka, Warden Software Developer Gilbert Mwesigwa, and several sales executives.
Investigators allege that the group either neglected their duties or directly used their access credentials to create, confirm, and print fake gorilla and chimpanzee tracking permits. These permits allowed unverified visitors to access popular conservation sites such as Buhoma, Nkuringo, Ruhija, Rushaga, Nyakagezi, Kanyanchu, and Kyambura, causing massive losses to the wildlife authority.
The charge sheet further includes a conspiracy to defraud count, accusing the suspects of working together with other individuals still at large to issue more than 8,400 fake permits. The fraudulent activity is believed to have undermined one of Uganda’s biggest sources of tourism revenue.
Each suspect faces charges under Sections 2(1), 19(1), and 26 of the Anti-Corruption Act, Cap 116, which cover corruption, neglect of duty, and causing financial loss.
The case began after an internal UWA audit revealed irregularities in the online reservation system, prompting a joint investigation by the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) and the Inspectorate of Government (IGG).
The suspects have appeared before the Anti-Corruption Court in Kampala, where proceedings are underway. Investigators say more arrests are expected as they continue to trace other individuals linked to the digital fraud scheme that targeted Uganda’s gorilla and chimpanzee tourism program.