The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has secured a deterrent sentence against four poachers convicted by the Chief Magistrate’s Court of Masindi for illegal hunting inside Murchison Falls National Park.
The convicts are Owinja Gilbert, Oyergiu Damas, Iutung Godfrey and Oyirworh Stephen.
They were arrested on 15th July 2026 at about 9:15 a.m. in the Corner Ojara area inside the protected area. They appeared before court on 23rd July 2026, pleaded guilty to all charges and were remanded.
On 3rd September 2026, Chief Magistrate His Worship Olara Gumutwero sentenced each offender to: 2 years for unlawful entry into a protected area, 4 years for unlawful hunting in a protected area, and 8 years for unlawful possession of wildlife specimens of protected species.
The sentences will run concurrently, meaning each will serve 8 years in prison.
The court also ordered each convict to pay UGX 10,000 per kilogram of wildlife meat, amounting to UGX 4,170,000 for the 417 kilograms recovered.
Grisly Exhibits
The prosecution told the court that exhibits recovered included 11 spears, four knives, one panga, one sharpening file, 417.952 kgs of wildlife meat, five buffalo tails, one giraffe tail, two buffalo horns, one oribi horn, Uganda kob skin and legs, Jackson’s hartebeest legs and other buffalo body parts.
Defence counsel Ms Ajok Harriet pleaded for leniency, saying they were first-time offenders with family responsibilities.
But UWA lead prosecutor Kato Robinson asked for a deterrent sentence, citing increasing wildlife crime around Murchison Falls National Park and the importance of wildlife tourism to Uganda’s economy.
In his ruling, Chief Magistrate Olara Gumutwero agreed, saying although they were first-time offenders, the increasing prevalence of wildlife crime warranted a tough sentence to protect Uganda’s tourism industry and national development goals.
Reacting to the ruling, UWA Executive Director Dr James Musinguzi said UWA remains committed to protecting Uganda’s wildlife.
“We will continue working with law enforcement agencies and the Judiciary to combat wildlife crime. We urge people involved in wildlife trafficking to seek alternative livelihoods. UWA is deploying technology to track offenders and strengthening ranger presence,” Dr Musinguzi said.
Murchison Falls National Park is Uganda’s largest national park and a key wildlife tourism destination, home to buffaloes, giraffes, kobs, hartebeests and other protected species targeted by poachers.
