The Minister for Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities Hon. Tom Butime alongside officials from Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) yesterday held a meeting at the CTC Conservation Center in Butambala aimed at resolving the longstanding disagreements between the two entities.
For years since its inception in 2015, CTC Director Thomas Price has decried frustrations and regulatory barriers allegedly perpetrated by some officials from UWA, the body mandated with the regulation of such facilities.
UWA has also cited alleged flouting of operational guidelines by the CTC, squabbles that were further highlighted in the Parliamentary Committee on Trade, Tourism and Industry’s report following their visit to CTC Conservation Center earlier this year in February.
Speaking to the press after his tour of the facility and the subsequent closed-door meeting with the stakeholders, Hon. Butime said that the issues raised by both parties in the meeting had been duly addressed, emphasizing that matters concerning conservation should be handled as fast and possible.
“We would like to develop conservation facilities so that we can receive tourists. When more tourists come to Uganda, the proprietors of such facility, and the government make money. I am impressed with Mr. Thomas and what he has done here,” the Minister said.
He added that the meeting resolved to end the long-standing operational impasse through the development and signing of a binding Memorandum of Understanding (Mou).
“We have also agreed that we shall henceforth develop an MoU between this facility and Uganda Wildlife Authority so that at any given time, each one knows what they ought to do and how quickly to do it,” said the Minister.
This was welcomed by Price who noted that with the Ministry and UWA coming on board to forge a reconciliatory path, he is hopeful the 3 entities are moving in the right direction.
“We are first of all honored that the honorable Minister himself came, we appreciate that. I think the meeting went very well, as a team together now, we cam make this facility what will move the tourism industry. For long we (CTC, UWA) have not found mutual understanding but it was great that the minister guided that people should work together and make this happen,” Price said.
He noted that they are looking at expanding the facility’s 56acreage to 200 by the third quarter of 2024 emphasizing, however, that these developments are highly dependent on how well CTC and the various authorities work together.
“It’s very hard to invest more money and buy more land, introduce other animals when things are not moving forward. So, we feel, with the progress made today, we can now finally push and expand more. Once we have the MoU, at least we have a clear path on how to move forward,” Price added.
Also Read: Conserving the Endangered: Meet the Lemurs of Uganda
During his tour, the Minister had the opportunity to interact with animals including among others lions, lemurs and zebras. He also named two of the lion cubs at CTC; Thomas (after himself) and Beatrice (after his wife).
A tourist who was visiting the center, a Chinese national based in the USA, noted that she was impressed beyond her expectations by the various animals encountered at the facility.
“I learned from my tour guide that Chinese tourists come here almost every day. I had known about the center because it is popular on Chinese websites and social media so when I visited Uganda, CTC was a must visit destination. This is a real, live experience. Everything was a highlight for me. From the way the animals interact with you, you can see that they are well taken care of and loved here,” she said.
UWA was represented by Deputy Director John Makombo and Wildlife Manager Pamela Oyella.