Wildlife Ranger Challenge: Kidepo runs for victory, and in memory of a fallen ranger

What the report says

The Independent Uganda reported that Uganda’s Wildlife Ranger Challenge was held on September 19 inside Murchison Falls National Park, drawing ranger teams from several conservation areas to a 21-kilometre race with weighted packs. The event was hosted in Uganda by the Uganda Conservation Foundation and was part of a wider Africa-wide challenge organized by Tusk and the Game Rangers Association of Africa to highlight the work and risks faced by rangers.

Kidepo Valley National Park emerged with both the men’s and women’s titles, extending its strong record in the competition. The report said the Kidepo men had already won three straight times before this year’s event, while the women also finished first again. Rangers from other Ugandan protected areas, including Bwindi, Queen Elizabeth, Kibale, Pian Upe, Murchison Falls, Ziwa and Karamoja community conservancies, also took part.

The story placed particular emphasis on the death of Private David Onenchan, a Kidepo ranger who was killed days before the race during an encounter with armed poachers. His death gave the competition a memorial tone for the Kidepo teams, who described the challenge as a way to honor a colleague while doing a job that often involves long patrols, difficult terrain and personal risk.

More broadly, the report framed the challenge as both a fitness test and a reminder of the pressures facing conservation staff. In general, ranger challenges like this are used to raise awareness and funding for frontline wildlife protection across Africa, though the article focused mainly on the Ugandan teams and the human cost of protecting wild places.