UWA graft probe-team named
The Minister of Trade, Tourism and Industry Mr. Kahinda Otafiire has appointed Col. Stephen Kwiringira to head the committee to investigate allegations of corruption against two suspended top Uganda Wildlife Authority officials.
Other members on the committee include Mr Amos Wekesa, the chairman Uganda Tourism Association, Dr John Bosco Nizeye from Makerere University and Mr Denis Bireije. Col. Kwiringira is a former director of operations at the Internal Security Organisation.
The Uganda Wild life Authority, (UWA) executive director Moses Wafula Mapesa and Sam Mwandha, the director of conservation, are currently on forced leave.
Mr Joseph Tibeijuka, the director for finance, has been appointed acting executive director.
The team, according to a source, will investigate alleged mismanagement of money from gorilla permits and Zziwa Rhino Sanctuary in Nakasongola District.
Gen. Otafiire said yesterday that the officials will have an opportunity to clear themselves on the allegations contained in the IGG’s report.
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9 Baffalos and more hippos die from Anthrax in Queen Elizabeth Park
An anthrax outbreak in Queen Elizabeth National Park has killed 82 hippos and nine buffaloes since June 2010.
The chairman of the National Anthrax Task Force Dr Nicholas Kauta told journalists on Thursday that the most affected areas are those surrounding Kazinga Channel and lakes Edward and George.
As a national response, he said, the task force is implementing a multi-pronged response which includes undertaking a base line study to determine the extent of the outbreak and affected species through carrying out carcass management, marine and terrestrial patrols and sample analysis.
He warned people around the area not to graze animals in the park, report all sicknesses and deaths in wild and domestic animals to authorities and not to consume meat from sick and dead animals.
He said there will be a ring vaccination of livestock in the national park and all health centres have been put on high alert.
Anthrax is caused by bacteria (bacillus anthracis) in the atmosphere. Animals mainly herbivores get it through contaminated grass, soil and water.
Humans can acquire it through eating contaminated meat and animal products from infected animals.
The park has often experienced attacks in 1954 and in 1994 and 2004. In 2004, about 300 hippos died.
The Uganda Wild Life Authority says there is no cause of alarm that all animals in the park might die because the beasts have natural immunity to the disease.
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Uganda Tourism Vibrant Despite Bomb Blasts
The Uganda Tourists and tour operators earlier have been weary of the situation and its impact on the tourism sector. However, players in the field say apart from inquiries, there are no tourists canceling their booking and safaris that characterize the season will go as planned.
Hundreds of tourists book vocations in Uganda during this period to visit parks and especially to trek gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Concerns whether they would cancel their trips or change their itinerary have been quelled by further bookings, according the Mr Moses Mapesa, the executive director of Uganda Wildlife Authority, a body that is charged with keeping the national parks, among other tourism attractions
Assuring Tourists, Mr Mapesa said he has not received any cancellation, something that reassures the sector that the bombs scare will not seriously affect the business. On Wednesday morning, tour operators held a meeting at the Uganda Tourism Board offices in Kampala at the meeting, they resolved on safety measures of tourists in the country and those about to arrive.
Though the primary aim of the meeting the upcoming World Travel Market (WTM) fair in London due in November, tour operators addressed matters regarding the bombs scare because they could be damaging to their business.
Miss Najjuka, the manager of Katona tours and travel said that though some tourists who booked with her company are concerned and have been inquiring whether it is safe to visit the country, she is glad that none of them has cancelled and have sent 6 groups of Tourists to National parks this week. Three Tourists are hiking Rwenzori, One couple is on 21 days Vacation to celebrate their marriage , a group of 5 has gone for a grand safari and the rest of the groups are tracking gorillas.
Mr Baluku, a secretary general of the Association of Uganda Tour Operators (AUTO) said,, "No park has been far closed, so as long as visitors observe safety precautions, the situation is very normal."
Uganda Tourism Board's Edwin Muzahura added, "I have met the private sector in tourism and we have agreed on updating our clients on the situation back home." He said providing factual updates on the website, twitter and face book helps tourists understand the situation as it is, and not to scare them away.
"These scares happen anywhere and tourists cannot stop to come because two bombs are detonated in some parts of Kampala. For example, South Africa was on high alert before and during the World Cup, but millions of football fans watched the games peacefully. The situation in Kampala is very controllable and every other places tourists visit, are more security conscious than possibly they have been."
Mr Mapesa adds, "People out there understand that there are security concerns in America, Europe, Asia and everywhere." He said there are reasonable security measures in place to protect the tourists from harm, adding, UWA has enough security on its own in all national parks.
"The safaris are done in the total guidance of our staff. We tell our visitors to travel during the day and to be inside by 7p.m.," he says, adding, "And even when a tourist asked for a self guided tour, we advise them on routes and give them a map."
Mr Muzahura told Saturday Monitor, the situation is under control and that is why the government has not issued any travel advisories. Mr Baluku adds, the coming months are high season for safaris and if the government serves advisory notices, it would heavily impact on the tourism industry.
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Tanzania Tourist Board gets new Managing Director
Dr. Aloyce K. Nzuki has been appointed as the new Managing Director of the Tanzania Tourist Board
Dr. Nzuki brings years of experience in the tourism industry to the position. He previously worked with Tanzania’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism as an Assistant Director in Tourism Development and Tourism Research, Training and Statistics.
He was appointed by H.E. Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, President of the United Republic of Tanzania
Under Dr. Nzuki’s direction, the Tanzania Tourist Board will continue to promote sustainable tourism domestically and internationally.
“As Tanzania’s tourism industry, which accounts for 17.2 percent of the country’s GNP, keeps growing, we will remain focused on high quality, low impact tourism to ensure the sustainability of the tourism product. We look forward to continuing the momentum started in the United States, which remains our number-one market,” said Dr. Nzuki.
Dr. Nzuki studied Statistics at Makerere University in Uganda and completed a master’s degree in Tourism Marketing at University of Surrey in England. He holds a doctorate
Degree in Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management from Clemson University of South Carolina.
Until last month, Dr. Nzuki was an Assistant Professor of International Business Administration at the College of Applied Sciences in Salalah, Oman. He has also worked as a member of the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s World Committee on Tourism Ethics, the body responsible for interpreting, applying and evaluating the provisions of the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism.
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Seychelles to promote Uganda’s Tourism
The World’s second most conservationist country, Seychelles, has added Uganda and some EAC countries on its list of tourist destinations.
This opportunity will promote the country’s gorilla and wildlife destinations to visitors from Europe, America and other parts of the world.
Speaking at a meeting of Uganda’s tour operators in Kampala, Mr David Germain, the Seychelles Tourist Regional manager said; originally South Africa and the US alone have been the main market.
“We have decided to take a more general approach and identified specific countries on the African continent; we have chosen Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya as potential partners in promoting tourism,” Mr Germain said.
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Uganda’s Serena to join TPSEA stable
The Managing Director of the firm that owns the Serena Hotels(accommodation) in Uganda, Mahmud Jan Mohamed, said on Monday that incorporating the Ugandan firm into the group would go a long way in enabling them to cushion the entity against losses and also increase their shareholders’ value.
“This now gives TPSEA a presence in Uganda and obviously in the long term our objective is to continue with the strategy and hopefully bring in Rwanda and (later) Mozambique to make our public company a very strong vehicle,” he said.
The firm enhanced its presence in Uganda late last year with the acquisition of ‘The Ranch on the Lake’ now Lake Victoria Serena Resort which is the second TPS operation after Kampala Serena.
The integration of TPS Uganda will follow its acquisition through a 100 percent share swap and will go ahead once the requisite regulatory approvals from both Kenya’s and Uganda’s Capital Markets Authorities and the Nairobi Stock Exchange are granted.
A detailed pricing structure and timings of how the process will take place will be released once the group gets the nod from the authorities.
TPSEA started implementing this strategy in 2004 when it integrated the Tanzanian and Zanzibar operations with Kenya’s in a bid to diversify its risk.
This has worked positively for the company particularly in 2008 when the negative impact of the post election violence negatively affected Kenya’s tourism sector, Tanzanian’s operations contributed significantly to the entity’s bottom line.
“The process will bring in more units into the TPSEA and would be a medium term venture that would take about four years to conclude.”
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Nyero rock painting destroyed
These famous ancient sites in Kumi district, eastern Uganda, the Nyero Rock Paintings that were paited about 300 years ago, will be no more in few years to come if nothing is done to protect them.
The Nyero Rock Paintings, with three-tiered rock-shelters, and primitive paintings on their inner surfaces, are of a later Iron Age period and is one of the many UNESCO World Heritage sites
The illegal stone quarrying, charcoal burning and smearing with oil, reportedly for ritual purposes is a big threat to this historical site and will be very difficult to restore, said Jacqueline Nyiracyiza, an official from the Uganda Department of Museums and Monuments.
“Unless we stop stone quarrying, charcoal burning and the use of oil in Nyero rock, there will be no tourists,” she added.
Nyiracyiza made these remarks on Thursday May 13, during the launch of an exhibition of Africa’s unique rock art heritage at Moru-Ikara Primary School in Kumi district.
The two-week exhibition was organised by the Department of Museums and Monuments in conjunction with Trust for African Rock Art (TARA) aimed at working with local communities to preserve this cultural heritage.
Rose Mwanja, the acting commissioner, Museums and Monuments in the tourism ministry, said Nyero was gazzetted as a national monument in 1972.
“We have historical sites in Karamoja, Katakwi, Kapir, Ngora and Mukongoro (all in Kumi), but Nyero is one of its kind and we should preserve it,” she says. She adds that the community is key in the preservation of such sites.
She added the white engravings on site three depict the bright sunshine in Uganda.
William Opio Ilakut, the current caretaker, said the lack of facilities like accommodation and hotels scare tourists away.
Officiating at the function, Rev Fr. Simon Lokodo, the state minister for industry, appealed to the people of Nyero to guard the heritage if they are to get revenue from it.
He says once the heritage is well protected, more visitors from all over the world will be attracted to Nyero and the proceeds will assist in developing the area.
“This heritage should not be left to disappear because it helps us interpret the past. We need our past in order to enjoy the present and to build the future”.
Lokodo said the Government will take charge of the heritage by introducing a number of social facilities that can attract the tourists and urged the leaders to create awareness of the importance of the heritage.
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IGG cancels gorilla permit contracts
Raphael Baku the Inspector General of Government, has directed the Uganda Wildlife Authority to cancel all the illegal and irregular contracts it made with the Nkuringo Conservation and Development Foundation and Uganda Safari Company in Kisoro district.
The contracts were monopolising Gorilla Tracking in Nkuringo on the Southern periphery of the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
The IGG saind that Monopoly of sale of Gorilla Tracking permits by Uganda Wildlife Authority to a private company, directed UWA to comply with all the laws and policies that govern it in executing its mandate without taking advantage of the ignorance of the communities it works with.
The IGG report stated that the illegal and irregular contracts, namely the agreement between Uganda Wildlife Authority and Nkuringo Conservation Development Foundation of 30/8/2004 and its addendums of 23/11/2006 and 29/11/2006 and the agreement between Nkuringo Conservation and Development Foundation and the Uganda Safari Company should be revoked..
Earier on Tourism stakeholders complained to the IGG of discrimination, irregularities and illegalities in the management and issuance of gorilla tracking permits by the Uganda Wildlife Authority to a few companies and this created unfair monopoly in the tourism business.
This raised concern to Uganda as a whole which had lost tourism business including all benefits accruing from the sector to only one Kisoro Hotel operator, Uganda Safari Company, who had been given exclusive rights to sell gorilla tracking permits and allegedly attract tourists to an eco-lodge.
The IGG in the report recommended that UWA should draw up a well- thought out framework for the development of tourism opportunities for the whole region where Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is located not for particular isolated areas.
“The sub-counties of Nyabwishenya and Kirundo where Rubuguri and Nteko parishes respectively fall, should, in consultation with the district takeover the Nkuringo tourism project and improve development for the benefit of their communities after other modalities have been addressed.
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Buganda kingdom to set up zoo
Buganda Kingdom to set up a zoo at Lubiri, the palatial home of the Kabaka, Ronald Muwenda Mutebi.
The Buganda tourism minister, Florence Kiyingi said that the kingdom had been granted permission by the Uganda Wildlife Authority to keep the wild animals.
“The zoo will have all the young animals that symbolise our totems. We are taking advantage of our proximity to wildlife authorities to promote our cultural heritage.”
Florence said clan members would have the opportunity to see some of the wild animals during the event and the zoology department will provide specimen of the animals that will not have been obtained.
There are over 50 clans in Buganda and each of them has a totem, except the royal clan, Abalangira.
Kiyingi made the disclosure while addressing journalists at the launch of the Buganda Tourism Expo 2010 at Hotel Africana on Wednesday.
The event will take place between June 28 and July 14. It aims at promoting cultural tourism in Buganda and Uganda as a whole.
Ugandans should visit heritage sites to learn more about their culture.
Some of the planned activities include opening of the royal gardens for public viewing, a food expo, an exhibition of herbal medicine, traditional music, performances from schools and a cultural show by tribes from all over the world.
The kingdom has also set up a website to promote the event in the diaspora.
The occasion will also focus on reconstruction of Kasubi tombs, a world heritage site that was destroyed by fire two months ago.
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Rwanda loses three Mountain Gorillas
Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park, has lost three baby mountain gorillas and an adult possibly from a combination of extremely cold and rainy weather, said the wildlife authorities.
Around 680 mountain gorillas remain in the wild, making them one of the world's most endangered great apes, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said in a statement.
The cause of death is not yet known but there was no indication of foul play, the statement added.
"We are all shocked and saddened by the death of these baby gorillas as well as the adult female, and by the grave implications for the mountain gorilla population as a whole," Eugene Rutagarama, director of the International Gorilla Conservation Program (IGCP), said in the statement.
Half of the populations of Endangered Mountain Gorillas live in Bwindi Impenetrable Park in Uganda and the rest live in the Virunga chain of volcanoes, which straddle the central African countries of Rwanda, Uganda (Mgahinga National park) and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
The primates are under threat from poachers, the destruction of their habitat, the live ape trade, disease and fragmentation, the WWF said.
Rwanda's gorilla-viewing tourism industry is a leading source of foreign exchange.
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