Former Kyengegwa Woman Member of Parliament in the 9th Parliament Flavia Kabahenda Rwabuhoro will for the next three years steer the affairs at the Uganda Wild Education Centre (UWEC) popularly known as Entebbe zoo. Flavia Kabahenda was officially inaugurated as the new Board Chairperson at a function that was held on Thursday at Entebbe Zoo and was presided over by Tourism Minister Prof. Ephraim Kamuntu. She will be deputized by Benon Ssebina Katumba.
Others on the board include Mrs. Maria Baryamujura (Board Member) and founder of the Community based Tourism Initiatives (COBATI), Dr. Kedres Turyagyenda (Board Member) and Ministry of Education and Sports official, George Owoyesigire (Board Member) and Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities official, Geoffrey Bigogo Sibendire (Board Member) and Chairman Kasese District, Dr. Atinnedi Patrick (Board member) and Uganda Wildlife Authority official) and James Musinguzi (Ex-officio/secretary to the Board) and Executive Director Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC).
Key priority for the new board will be to source for the much needed funds for the completion of key projects at the Wildlife Education Centre. The projects include completion of the pier floating restaurant which requires shs2billion, completion of the Lake Victoria Tourism Circuit Project (Shs1.5bn), construction of the Big cat complex at (Shs120m) which will house lions, cheetahs, leopards and tigers once completed, construction of the elephant moat and holding (Shs400m) and construction of regional conservation Education Satellite centers.
UWEC will in the next few years develop four satellite centers or regional mini-zoos across four regions of Uganda. Feasibility study of two satellite centers has been completed. The elephant Moat will be helpful in providing a home for all the elephants we rescue from captivity. In the past we have been transferring all the rescued elephants in Uganda to Kenya because we didn’t have good facilities. In the past seven years we have been able rescue seven elephants and currently at UWEC we are looking after two elephants (Charles Hamukungu and Edward) that we rescued from captivity, Isaac Mujaasi the UWEC Publicist told entebbenews.
He Added
I’m glad that Parliament passed the UWEC 2015 Act which will enable the Zoo get funding from Ministry of Finance. In the past UWEC has been governed by a trust deed with no legal framework to get funding from government but this time round we need government to come on board because UWEC has registered tremendous growth in the number of visitors. We have over 300,000 visitors mainly young (Ugandans) visiting the zoo annually unlike 260,000 visitors who visit all National Parks combined annually
