The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) Business Development Manager, Dorcus Rukundo Twesigomwe, has revealed that the authority is seeking UGX 10 Billion to purchase a helicopter to monitor national parks.
Ms Rukundo who made the revelation while appearing before Parliament’s Committee on Tourism to discuss the Tourism Sector’s 2026/27 National Budget Framework Paper (NBFP) on Tuesday, revealed that the helicopter would greatly improve aerial surveillance in protected areas, boost efforts to fight poaching and enable rapid deployment of veterinary teams to treat injured animals.
“Sometimes we have animals that have been attacked or trapped by poachers, and we want to rescue them and take doctors to administer treatment. The helicopter also helps us with ecological monitoring to identify invasive species and conduct our annual wildlife census. Some areas are too vast to monitor from land, so air access is essential” she said.
Ms Rukundo 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 impossible.
She further noted that the UGX 10 Billion wouldn’t include maintenance, “We are planning to procure a brand-new helicopter, and maintenance costs will be addressed slightly later.”
The discussion followed UWA’s presentation on the UGX 240 billion allocated in its budget.
UWA noted that UGX 92 billion will go toward salaries, social security, medical, and burial expenses, while UGX 42 billion will cover rent, utilities, insurance, fuel, and ICT.
