Fifteen senior and mid-level officials of the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) are facing prosecution over their alleged involvement in a massive fraud scheme that cost the government more than Shs9.3 billion.
The officials were on Thursday charged before the Anti-Corruption Court in Kampala with multiple counts, including corruption, causing financial loss, and conspiracy to defraud.
Investigations reveal that the group exploited weaknesses in UWA’s online Go Chimp reservation system to generate and sell thousands of invalid gorilla and chimpanzee tracking permits between July 2020 and September 2023.
The fraudulent activity is said to have deprived the country of over USD 2.5 million in conservation revenue.
Among those implicated are top-ranking officers from UWA’s finance, tourism, ICT, and reservations departments.
Key suspects include Stephen Sanya Masaba, director of tourism and business development; Jimmy Mugisa, director of finance and administration; Robert Maani, senior warden accounts; and Leslie Muhindo, the former head of reservations. Also charged are ICT Manager Alfred Emmanuel Ndikusooka, Software Developer Gilbert Mwesigwa, and several sales staff members.
Prosecution documents indicate that the suspects either failed in their supervisory roles or directly manipulated the reservation system using personal login credentials to create and validate unauthorized tracking permits.
These permits reportedly granted illegal access to protected gorilla and chimpanzee habitats in areas such as Buhoma, Nkuringo, Ruhija, Rushaga, Nyakagezi, Kanyanchu, and Kyambura.
The case stems from internal UWA audits that uncovered suspicious transactions in the reservation platform, triggering a joint investigation by the Criminal Investigations Directorate and the Inspectorate of Government.
The charge sheet cites violations of Sections 2(1), 19(1), and 26 of the Anti-Corruption Act, Cap 116, which cover offenses related to corruption, neglect of duty, and causing financial loss.
Court proceedings are underway, and investigators are reportedly pursuing other individuals believed to have participated in the digital scam that exploited Uganda’s lucrative primate tourism sector.
