Given the fact that the tourism sector contributes almost 3% to Uganda’s GDP, government has put into place security measures through Police, rangers and other security personnel to guard wildlife against poachers.
In line of the same, Police in Kisoro arrested and detained 30-year old Munyaribanje Richard from Bunagana town council found in possession of over 43kgs of Elephant Ivory estimated to be worth Shs80 million.
The suspect was arrested yesterday following a tip-off from a concerned citizen in Bunagana town council.
The Uganda Wildlife Act of 1996 prohibits killing of wild animals for any reason other than self-defense, and whoever does so commits an offence that carries a penalty of imprisonment, paying fines or compensation, with the jail term being not less than six months.
Internationally, trading in ivory is illegal as it was banned by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), so it can only be traded on the black market.
Police says they are not yet aware where Munyaribanje got the ivory from but investigations are underway to find out more about the matter.