Gov’t Hands Over Bugoma Central Forest Reserve to UWA

The government has officially handed over Bugoma Central Forest Reserve to the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), marking a major shift in the management and protection of one of Uganda’s most ecologically significant forests.

The handover ceremony was held on Saturday at the Kikuube District headquarters and was presided over by the Prime Minister, Robinah Nabbanja.

In her remarks, Nabbanja said the government decided to transfer the management of the forest reserve to UWA after the National Forestry Authority (NFA) failed to effectively protect the forest from encroachment and illegal activities.

She said the reserve had suffered massive degradation due to charcoal burning, illegal logging, cultivation, and land encroachment despite the presence of NFA enforcement teams.According to Nabbanja, placing the forest under UWA management signals the beginning of stricter wildlife-standard protection and tougher enforcement measures against encroachers who have continued to degrade the forest reserve.

She directed UWA to immediately begin operations to stop all illegal activities within the forest and prevent further encroachment.Nabbanja also instructed the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development to immediately reopen and verify the official boundaries of the forest reserve based on its original gazetted boundaries of 1932.

She further ordered the cancellation of all illegally acquired land titles within the forest reserve and called for the arrest of individuals found to have illegally obtained such titles.

The Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, Tom Butiime, said the government expects UWA to use its paramilitary ranger force to curb illegal logging and charcoal burning in the forest reserve.Butiime explained that the government also intends to implement aggressive reforestation programs to restore degraded sections of the forest while promoting Bugoma as a major eco-tourism destination, especially for primate tracking.

He said protecting the forest is also critical for maintaining local climate stability and supporting agricultural productivity in the region.

The Executive Director of UWA, Dr. James Musinguzi, described the transition as a significant milestone in restoring ecological integrity and strengthening conservation efforts in the area. Musinguzi said Bugoma Forest remains important for wildlife conservation, water catchment protection, and sustaining community livelihoods, adding that its protection is a national responsibility.

He noted that the transition would not only focus on law enforcement but would also promote community-led conservation initiatives aimed at ensuring local residents benefit from conservation efforts.According to Musinguzi, UWA has already established a strong security surveillance network to guard the forest against further encroachment and illegal activities.

The Kikuube Resident District Commissioner, Godwine Angalia, accused NFA of presiding over widespread mismanagement and illegal activities within the forest reserve, expressing confidence that UWA has the manpower and capacity to effectively protect the area.

Kikuube District Vice Chairperson Vincent Alpha Opio warned that continued destruction of the forest threatens chimpanzee habitats and undermines the region’s tourism potential.Meanwhile, Buhaguzi County Member of Parliament Francis Kazini appealed to the Prime Minister and UWA to allow encroachers who had planted crops in the forest reserve to first harvest them before eviction.

However, both Nabbanja and UWA officials rejected the request, insisting that no one would be allowed to access the forest reserve from Saturday onward.In February this year, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni directed Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja to oversee the immediate transfer of Bugoma Forest management from NFA to UWA.

The President cited increasing deforestation, illegal activities, and encroachment as reasons for the directive and proposed upgrading the forest reserve into a national park to strengthen its protection.

Museveni also ordered all encroachers to vacate the forest voluntarily and instructed the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, to investigate allegations implicating some senior army officers in illegal charcoal burning activities within the forest.Bugoma Central Forest Reserve, which covers approximately 410 square kilometres, was gazetted in 1932 and placed under NFA management in 2003.

The forest is among Uganda’s richest biodiversity areas, hosting 24 mammal species, 465 tree species, 359 bird species, 289 butterfly species, and 130 moth species. It is also home to about 10 percent of Uganda’s chimpanzee population, according to a 2012 census.

Bugoma also serves as a major wildlife corridor and a critical water catchment area for rivers draining into Lake Albert and River Nguse, where government plans to establish a hydropower dam.Its proximity to the Kingfisher oil field further increases its ecological importance, particularly in carbon absorption and climate regulation.In 2016, Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom leased 22 square miles of adjacent land to Hoima Sugar Limited for sugarcane growing. 

Environmental authorities later approved cultivation on part of the land while preserving other sections for eco-tourism and natural forest conservation.However, conservationists have continued to criticize the project, warning that it threatens biodiversity and tourism potential. 

The Kingdom maintains that the leased land is ancestral property and not part of the gazetted Bugoma Forest Reserve.