In a jaw-dropping move, the Uganda Wildlife Education Center (UWEC) has thrown a wild card into the budget arena, requesting a staggering UGX 10 billion to spearhead the breeding of lions in three national parks in the upcoming financial year.
The gigantic request was presented before the Budget Committee through the Committee on Tourism, Trade, and Industry, which has been buzzing since Monday with reports from various sectoral committees about the 2024/25 Budget Framework Papers of different Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
According to the charismatic chairperson of the Trade committee, Mr. Mwine Mpaka, this colossal sum is deemed essential to boost the dwindling lion population in the country.
With an air of urgency, he declared, “Tourism requires Shs 10 billion to start breeding lions through Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC). We now have 15 lions at UWEC, but the lion population in the country has gone down because of human-wildlife conflict.”
In an exclusive revelation to colleagues on the Budget committee, Mr. Mpaka unveiled the ambitious plan, “We are now going to start breeding them in the wild in Queen Elizabeth, Kidepo, and Murchison Falls National Parks.”
He elaborated, “So, the ministry requires money to set up different facilities within the national parks where we are going to be breeding and releasing them. For example, whenever we have enough, we can release five at a go into the wild just to increase the lion population.”
Mr. Mpaka justified the need for this exorbitant budget by pointing out the sharp decline in the number of lions in the country. “We see that we are losing about 120 lions per year. We are looking at the possibility of releasing 15 lions every two years,” he asserted.
However, the financial intricacies don’t end there. Information before Parliament indicates a planned allocation of Shs 248.7 billion for the tourism sector, but Mr. Mpaka revealed a shortfall of Shs 309 billion required to address the unfunded priorities of the sector.
Undeterred by financial constraints, the Trade committee is pushing for the endorsement of Shs 4 billion required by the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) to clean up the negative image tarnishing Uganda’s tourism sector.
The stakes are high, especially after the tragic incident last October in Queen Elizabeth National Park, where two foreign tourists and a Ugandan tour guide lost their lives.
In response, the UTB plans to spend a substantial chunk of the budget on global media giants such as the BBC, National Geographic, and CNN to circulate positive messages about Uganda’s tourism sector.
As the grand narrative unfolds, an additional Shs 1 billion is earmarked to enable Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC) to televise and popularize the country’s various tourism destinations across multiple platforms under the national broadcaster.
Will this mammoth budget breathe life into Uganda’s lion population and rejuvenate its tourism sector? Only time will tell.
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