The Convection on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) CITES CoP19 meeting of the conference of parties meeting at Panama City in Panama has rejected a proposal by Zimbawe, South Africa, Botswana and Namibia to reopen trade in elephant ivory. We welcome the decision at a time like this when illegal trade in elephant ivory is increasing in Africa. Allowing to reopen trade in ivory would be to increase illegal wildlife trade and may increase slaughters of elephants.

Our own Ms. Gladys Kamasanyu was one of the speakers at the 30th Annual Animal Conference. The topic for her panel was ‘Animals caught in human conflict.’ She talked about human-wildlife conflict and interventions to address it, drawing examples from Uganda.

Our founder Ms. Gladys Kamasanyu is at Harvard University attending a conference on Global Animal Law Handbook Country Reports. She wrote and presented a country report on Uganda. The report will be published in the Global Animal Law Handbook by Oxford University Press in the Oxford Handbook Series. What an opportunity to speak on behalf of animals at a global level!

It was such a privilege for us to interact with Criminal Investigations Officers at Central Police Station, Kampala. Our topics for the day were human rights observance and evidence collection and handling. Such interactions will translate into successful prosecutions of wildlife cases and holding with dignity, those who contravene the law.

We were also able to share copies of our compendium of wildlife laws in Uganda.

We commend the Uganda Wildlife Court for a landmark sentence of life imprisonment given to an ivory trader. Mr. Ochiba Pascal alias Ismail aged 62 years was on 20th October 2022 sentenced to spend the whole of his remaining time in prison after he was found guilty of unlawful possession of ivory at Namuwongo in Kampala Central, Kampala district. Mr. Ochiba is a repeat offender having been convicted by the same court of unlawful possession of ivory and a dry okapi skin in 2017. He was sentenced to eighteen months imprisonment in 2017, a sentence he did not learn from.

The sentence of life imprisonment given to Mr. Ochiba is the very first life imprisonment sentence passed by court in Uganda in wildlife cases. While sentencing Mr. Ochiba, the Chief magistrate of the court emphasized that it was necessary to keep Mr. Ochiba away in order to make the world a safer place for humans and wildlife.

We join the rest of the world to celebrate World Gorilla Day. We commend African countries that house the world’s remaining population of mountain gorillas. In a special way, we appreciate Uganda for all the efforts made to protect more than half of the world’s remaining population of mountain gorillas.

We are so proud of this accomplishment. It was made possible by Center for Animal Law Studies (CALS). Knowledge of the law saves lives of animals and the people. We are securing the future for animals.

The Standards, Utilities and Wildlife Court has today sentenced two men to 7 years imprisonment for four offences of entering into a wildlife protected area without authority, hunting wildlife in a wildlife protected area and killing wild animals in a wildlife protected area. The two were also sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for unlawful possession of protected species.

Tumuhirwe Vincent and Ariyo Robert between 17th and 19th March, 2021 entered in Queen Elizabeth National Park and poisoned six tree climbing lions. 10 vultures were also found dead after consuming the same poison. The two men cut off the heads and paws of the lions and took them with them. The incident came about after 2 years after the poisoning of 11 lions in the same National Park. Killers of the 11 lions have not been apprehended up to now.

We welcome the sentence and hope that it will send a strong warning to all other offenders.

Our relationship with National Forestry Authority (NFA) has resulted in a memorandum of understanding. We feel privileged to cooperate and collaborate with NFA in promoting wildlife (Flora and Fauna) conservation and protection in Central Forest Reserves in Uganda.

We are committed to building capacity. This week, our very own Ms. Gladys Kamasanyu participated in training of prosecutors and law enforcement officers of National Forestry Authority (NFA). Strengthening the capacity of stakeholders in the fight against wildlife and forest crime is important in saving mother nature.