NEWS- Uganda Wildlife Authority has released revenue sharing funds amounting to Ugx 1,539,434,032 for the financial year 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 to communities in the districts bordering the Queen Elizabeth Conservation Area.
The funds were Thursday June 27th 2024, handed over to the leaders from 12 districts that share the boundary with the Queen Elizabeth National Park at an event that was held Kalya Courts in Fort Portal City and was presided over by Uganda Wildlife Authority Director of Finance and Administration Jimmy Mugisa who represented the Executive Director Sam Mwondha.
The districts that received the money include Kasese District which took the lion’s share of Ugx 596.1million, followed by Kitagwenda District which took Ugx 262.6 million, Rubirizi District got Ugx 234.8 million, Rukungiri District got Ugx 146.9 million while Kanungu District got Ugx 130.5 million.
Others include Mitooma District which took Ugx 83.9 million, Ibanda District took Ugx 37.3 million, Bundibugyo District took Ugx 18.9 million, Kamwengye took Ugx 12.3 million, Bunyangabu District got Ugx 9.4 million, Kabarole District took Ugx 4.2 million and Ntoroko District took Ugx 1.8 million.
According to the Uganda Wildlife Authority Manager for Communications Bashir Hangi, the initiative of revenue sharing among the communities bordering the conservation areas, aims at promoting sustainable conservation practices and foster a sense of ownership and responsibility among the local communities.
Hangi explained that the allocated funds are intended to support various community initiated projects, including education, health care, infrastructure and other initiatives aimed at improving the quality of life for the residents of benefiting districts.
While handing over the dummy cheques to the beneficiaries, Mugisa expressed gratitude to all partners, stakeholders and community members for the support and dedication to conservation and emphasized the importance of conservation to community livelihoods.
