EXCLUSIVE: Ex-Board Bwindi Trust Members Blow Whistle on BMCT Boss Over ‘Choreographed’ Fund Draining and Fake Travels

What the report says

Former board members of the Bwindi Mgahinga Conservation Trust (BMCT) have accused trust administrator Wilberforce Tumwesigye of poor financial management and weak oversight, according to Watchdog Uganda. The dispute is centered in Kisoro and involves a donor-funded conservation body tied to communities around Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. The trust was set up to support the socio-economic welfare of Batwa communities affected by the creation of the gorilla tourism protected areas.

In the report, the ex-trustees said they want a forensic audit of BMCT’s operations. They allege that Tumwesigye is often absent from the office, relies heavily on travel framed as field monitoring or resource mobilization, and has increased his own allowances. The article says former board members also believe the trust has struggled to secure major donor funding and that administrative problems have disrupted normal operations.

The former trustees further claim tensions escalated when they tried to raise absenteeism and governance concerns at a board meeting. They say management moved to shorten the terms of some outspoken oversight members, which they view as an attempt to weaken accountability. Tumwesigye denied the allegations and suggested local political actors were trying to interfere with the trust’s conservation work, while community representatives said the trust must protect the benefit-sharing rights of nearby residents. The ex-board members plan to petition government ministries and conservation donors for an independent investigation.