UWA beats revenue target by Shs 11 billion

What the report says

The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) said it collected Shs 16.4 billion from tourism-related concession agreements in the 2025/26 financial year, far above its Shs 5 billion target. The Observer reported that this amounted to an excess of Shs 11.4 billion, even though visitor numbers to protected areas fell during the same period.

UWA’s corporate report for 2025/26 put total visits at 865,805, down from 943,837 the previous year. The authority said the decline was linked to the Ebola outbreak earlier in the year and to travel advisories, according to remarks by executive director Dr James Musunguzi at a stakeholders’ breakfast meeting on October 23. Concession income comes from private operators running services such as lodges, camps and other tourism facilities inside or near protected areas.

The report also emphasized UWA’s plans to expand private investment in tourism infrastructure. It identified 18 investment sites and prepared 19 concession opportunities during the year, with the aim of improving services and broadening revenue sources. The authority said these investments could help support Uganda’s wider economic goals while strengthening its own income base.

Beyond revenues, UWA reported conservation work including invasive species control across 7,464.94 hectares, maintenance of 1,213 kilometres of protected-area boundaries, habitat restoration and the translocation of 90 animals. The report also noted the transfer of eight southern white rhinos to Ajai Wildlife Reserve and Kidepo Valley National Park, as well as the new mandate to manage and restore Bugoma Central Forest Reserve.