The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) have recommitted to a long-standing partnership aimed at promoting urban conservation, environmental education, and tourism within Uganda’s capital city.
The engagement held at the UWA Headquarters in Kamwokya and was attended by the Executive Director of KCCA, Ms. Sharifah Buzeki, and Executive Director of UWA, Dr. James Musinguzi.
The meeting brought together officials from both institutions to reaffirm the collaboration under an existing Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2016 to jointly promote Kampala City as a tourism gateway.
Dr. Musinguzi emphasized the significance of the partnership and lauded the milestones achieved, including the operationalization of the Wildlife Information Centre at Sheraton Kampala Hotel, the erection of wildlife monuments, and the implementation of joint conservation education programs.
He expressed enthusiasm for renewed collaboration under the leadership of both new executives.
“We are excited about strengthening our joint efforts to integrate conservation into the urban setting,” said Dr. Musinguzi. “KCCA’s commitment to a greener, smarter city aligns perfectly with UWA’s mission to promote wildlife conservation. Together, we can scale up impactful initiatives such as urban wildlife management, school education programs, and the beautification of city streets with conservation-themed installations.”
On her part, Ms. Sharifah Buzeki reaffirmed her institution’s dedication to working closely with UWA, particularly in fostering a conservation-conscious culture among city dwellers and protecting biodiversity within the capital. She applauded UWA for the support it had rendered over the years and highlighted the importance of inter-agency collaboration in delivering sustainable urban development.
“Kampala must be a place where development and nature coexist harmoniously. Through our partnership with UWA, we have already taken great strides, and I believe the next chapter will be even more impactful, especially in advancing tourism, safeguarding urban bird species, and enforcing green space policies,” she said.
In attendance was the Deputy Executive Director of KCCA Mr. Benon Kigenyi, top management officials from both institutions among others.
Both institutions committed to renewing the MoU and exploring additional areas of collaboration, such as promoting the Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre (UWEC), managing urban wildlife, and amplifying UWA’s presence within the city through service points and public awareness campaigns.
The development of the Tourism Information Centre, one of the joint ventures between the two Authorities, was fully financed by the Uganda Wildlife (UWA) in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with KCCA to jointly promote tourism in Kampala and Uganda in general.
Another is the beautification of Kampala with a fresh look of wildlife sculptures placed along the streets. Ten of them were erected along the Kira Road stretch from Mulago, through Kamwokya to the traffic lights in Bukoto, bringing to the street’s images of the crested crane, Giraffes, Chimpanzees, Lions and Zebra’s, all of which tell the lushness of Uganda’s tourism.
Others to be erected are the Leopards, Elephants, Monkeys, Cheetah’s, and the Turaco. The artwork is a brainchild of Uganda Wildlife Authority-UWA, Kampala Capital City Authority-KCCA, and part of the 800 million Shillings projects to beautify and promote tourism in Kampala. It started with the erection of the Impala monument at Jubilee Park and the Mountain Gorilla at Speke Road. The Impala forms part of Uganda’s heritage as the source of the name Kampala.