Two men have been sentenced to a combined 17 years in prison after being found with 45 kilogrammes of elephant ivory linked to poaching activities around Uganda’s key protected areas.
Lakony Jalony, 7, and Omara Alex, 10, were sentenced by the Chief Magistrates Court of Standards, Utilities and Wildlife at Makindye, presided over by Chief Magistrate Gladys Kamasanyu. The court ordered that the time they have spent on remand since August 29, 2025 be deducted from their sentences.
The two had pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of specimens of protected wildlife species under the Uganda Wildlife Act, after initially denying the charge. They changed their plea after the first prosecution witness started testifying.
Court heard that the duo was intercepted on August 19, 2025, at Adibuk Junction in Nwoya District with 14 pieces of elephant ivory weighing 45kg, comprising two large tusks and four smaller tusks.
Wildlife expert Makambo Abdullah told court that at least three elephants were killed to obtain the ivory.
The case revealed wider poaching activities around Karuma Wildlife Reserve. During interrogation, Alex told investigators that he and five others had entered the reserve and laid wire snares. On their way out, they found a dead elephant. He later led police to two pieces of ivory hidden inside the reserve and to an elephant carcass in a swamp near Ayogo Bridge along the Arua Road.
Police also recovered two metal trap covers and two bushbuck horns from Jalony’s home in Pakawera Village, Nwoya District.
In her judgment, Chief Magistrate Kamasanyu noted that illegal possession of elephant ivory is rampant in Uganda and fuels the killing of elephants for illegal markets.
She cited the increasing number of ivory cases around Murchison Falls National Park and Karuma Wildlife Reserve.
The prosecution argued that Uganda earns substantial tourism revenue from wildlife, with elephants being one of the iconic Big Five species. It added that Nwoya District, which neighbours Murchison Falls National Park and Karuma Reserve, benefits from Uganda Wildlife Authority revenue-sharing arrangements.
The court observed that Uganda’s elephant population nearly went extinct in the 1980s but is now steadily recovering, a recovery that remains threatened by the illegal ivory trade. The judgment noted that Uganda is both a source and a transit route for ivory trafficked through concealed networks.
In sentencing, the magistrate ruled out a fine, saying imprisonment was necessary due to the gravity and recurrence of the offence, the weight of the ivory, and the need to deter poaching.
She found that Alex played a greater role in acquiring the ivory, hence the longer 10-year sentence.
The court ordered that all 14 pieces of ivory, the trap covers, bushbuck horns, bags and sack exhibited in court be forfeited to the Uganda Wildlife Authority.
