By Spy Uganda
The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has asked Parliament to approve Shs10 billion for the purchase of a helicopter aimed at strengthening wildlife protection, aerial surveillance and emergency response across the country’s national parks.
The proposal was presented on Tuesday by UWA’s Business Development Manager, Dorcus Rukundo Twesigomwe, as she appeared before Parliament’s Committee on Tourism during discussions on the tourism sector’s 2026/27 National Budget Framework Paper.
Twesigomwe told legislators that the helicopter would significantly enhance UWA’s ability to monitor protected areas from the air, combat poaching and rapidly deploy veterinary teams to rescue and treat injured animals. She noted that many wildlife emergencies occur in remote and hard-to-access parks such as Kidepo Valley, Murchison Falls and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, where ground transport is slow or, in some cases, impossible.
“The helicopter will be used for surveillance of our protected areas, patrols and rescue of injured or unwell animals. It will also enable us to quickly transport veterinary doctors to administer treatment where it is urgently needed,” Twesigomwe said.
UWA manages 10 national parks, 12 wildlife reserves and several sanctuaries nationwide. Its work spans conservation, law enforcement, tourism development and collaboration with communities living around protected areas. Wildlife-based tourism remains one of Uganda’s leading foreign exchange earners, making effective protection and monitoring of animals critical to the sector’s sustainability.
During the session, some MPs sought clarification on the cost and scope of the proposed purchase. Twesigomwe explained that the Shs10 billion allocation would cover the acquisition of a brand-new helicopter, with maintenance costs expected to come later. She added that owning a helicopter would allow UWA to respond faster to emergencies, rather than depending on external arrangements.
Beyond emergency response, Twesigomwe said the aircraft would play a key role in ecological monitoring, including identifying invasive species and conducting annual wildlife censuses across vast conservation landscapes.
The discussion took place as UWA outlined plans for spending the Shs240 billion allocated to the authority in the 2026/27 budget. Of this, Shs92 billion is earmarked for salaries, social security, medical care and burial expenses, while Shs42 billion will be spent on rent, utilities, insurance, fuel and information and communication technology.
Lawmakers also debated other proposed allocations, including Shs30 billion for the construction of electric fences in Murchison Falls and Queen Elizabeth national parks, and Shs10 billion to compensate victims of human-wildlife conflict. Several MPs described the figures as inadequate given the scale of human-wildlife challenges faced by communities around protected areas.
The Committee on Tourism is expected to seek further clarification from UWA before submitting its recommendations to the parliamentary budget committee, as discussions continue on how best to strengthen wildlife conservation and support Uganda’s tourism sector.
