More than 100 people have been arrested and arraigned in court as authorities intensify efforts to stop illegal activities in Bugoma Central Forest Reserve following the transfer of its management to the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA). The suspects were arrested during a series of operations conducted since May this year targeting illegal cultivation, charcoal burning, timber cutting, and unauthorized entry into the protected forest in Kikuube District.
According to UWA, the arrests are part of a broader enforcement campaign aimed at restoring order in the forest reserve, which has suffered years of degradation from encroachment and illegal exploitation. Fred Kiiza, the Chief Warden of Murchison Falls National Park, said more than 100 suspects have so far been apprehended since UWA assumed management of the forest reserve. He said all the suspects have been transferred to the Kampala Standards, Utilities, and Wildlife Court for trial.
Kiiza warned that UWA has strengthened security surveillance within the forest and that anyone found carrying out illegal activities will be arrested and prosecuted. According to him, activities such as charcoal burning, cultivation, timber harvesting, and unauthorized access to the reserve have largely been halted following the deployment of UWA rangers. Godwin Angalia, the Kikuube Resident District Commissioner, said individuals who illegally planted maize in the forest reserve will not be allowed to harvest their crops. He urged UWA to arrest anyone found attempting to harvest maize from within the protected area.
The intensified enforcement follows a government decision on May 9, 2026, to transfer management of Bugoma Central Forest Reserve from the National Forestry Authority (NFA) to UWA. The handover ceremony was held at Kikuube District headquarters and presided over by Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja. Government officials said the transfer was necessitated by continued encroachment, illegal logging, charcoal burning, and cultivation, which persisted despite NFA’s efforts to protect the forest.
The move marked the beginning of stricter conservation measures and tougher enforcement against encroachers. Earlier in February, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni directed Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja to oversee the immediate transfer of the forest to UWA, citing increasing deforestation and illegal activities. The President also ordered all encroachers to vacate the forest voluntarily and directed the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, to investigate allegations linking some senior military officers to illegal charcoal burning in the forest.
Bugoma Central Forest Reserve covers approximately 410 square kilometres and was gazetted in 1932 before being placed under NFA management in 2003. It is one of Uganda’s most important biodiversity hotspots, hosting 24 mammal species, 465 tree species, 359 bird species, 289 butterfly species, and 130 moth species. The forest is also home to about 10 percent of Uganda’s chimpanzee population and serves as a critical wildlife corridor and water catchment area for rivers flowing into Lake Albert and River Nguse.
Its ecological significance has increased further because of its proximity to the Kingfisher oil field and its role in carbon absorption and climate regulation. Bugoma has previously been at the centre of conservation disputes, particularly following the 2016 lease of 22 square miles of adjacent land by Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom to Hoima Sugar Limited for sugarcane cultivation. While conservationists have argued that the development threatens ecosystems and tourism potential, the Kingdom has maintained that the leased land is ancestral property and not part of the gazetted Bugoma Forest Reserve-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
