IGG cancels monopoly powers on gorilla tracking deal

Storm brews as IGG cancels all monopoly powers on gorilla tracking deal

According to UWA spokesperson Lillian Nsubuga, Ugandans and other East African citizens pay 250,000/= for each gorilla-tracking permit while foreigners pay $500 (1,000,000/=). There are 48 permits issued daily for guests to watch any of the six gorilla groups and they never sell out.

The Inspector General of Government (IGG) Mr. Baku Raphael has directed the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) to cancel all the illegal and irregular contracts it made with the Nkuringo Conservation and Development Foundation (NCDF) and Uganda Safari Company in Kisoro district, that were monopolizing Gorilla Tracking in Nkuringo on the Southern periphery of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park.

The acting IGG Mr. Baku Raphael, in an April 28 report says UWA, by granting NCDF and The Uganda Safari Company (TUSC) exclusive rights to issue permits to tourists, deprives Kisoro District residents of opportunities and revenue.

The report further says, Uganda Wildlife Authority is using NCDF as a channel through which it conducts private business with another private company, The Uganda Safari Company, by selling most of the gorilla-tracking permits in Nkuringo through TUSC.

The NCDF, a company limited by shares, gets eight permits each day and purports to represent entire communities of Rubuguri and Nteko parishes neighboring Bwindi Impenetrable Forest yet it is owned by only 23 people, the IGG wrote.

Previously in 2007, Tourism stakeholders complained to the IGG of discrimination, irregularities and illegalities in selling out of gorilla tracking permits by the Uganda Wildlife Authority to a few companies, resulting into unfair monopoly in the tourism business.

Mr Baku says, NCDF’s agreement with TUSC monopoly powers on gorilla-tracking permit to the exclusion of ordinary people is “unfair and unrealistic.” He therefore said, the illegal and irregular contracts, namely the agreement between Uganda Wildlife Authority and Nkuringo Conservation and Development Foundation and its addendum and the agreement between NCDF and The Uganda Safari Company Ltd, should be revoked.

The IGG in the report further recommended that UWA should draw up a well- thought out framework for the development of tourism opportunities for the whole region where Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is located not for particular isolated areas.

“The sub-counties of Nyabwishenya and Kirundo where Rubuguri and Nteko parishes respectively fall, should, in consultation with the district takeover the Nkuringo tourism project and improve development for the benefit of their communities after other modalities have been addressed.

“The sub-counties have the mandate and capacity to plan for their local communities, and can be held responsible for transparency, accountability and reporting because they have a planning and budgeting mandate for their parishes,” the report said.

However, TUSC owner and managing director, Mr Jonathan Wright, criticized the Ombudsman for being “naïve, reckless and biased” and accused the institution of denying them audience and choosing to listen to “jealous people.”