The Anti-Corruption Court has charged and remanded fifteen senior officials of the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) over a massive corruption and fraud scandal involving the issuance of fake gorilla and chimpanzee tracking permits, which allegedly cost the government more than USD 2.5 million (shs 9.37 billion) in lost revenue.
The officials, who appeared before the Chief Magistrate’s Court in Kampala, were charged with corruption, causing financial loss, and conspiracy to defraud under the Anti-Corruption Act, Cap 116 and the Penal Code Act, Cap 120. They were subsequently remanded to Luzira Prison until October 31, 2025, pending further investigations.
According to the charge sheet (CID H/QTRS E/235/2025) dated October 3, 2025, the accused include top directors, managers, wardens, and sales executives at UWA who allegedly manipulated the Authority’s internal reservation system, known as the “Go Chimp System,” to create, confirm, and issue invalid gorilla and chimpanzee tracking permits between July 2020 and September 2023.
The accused are: Stephen Sanyi Masaba (Director Tourism and Business Development), Robert Maani (Senior Warden Accounts), Ndikusooka Alfred Emmanuel (ICT Manager), Leslie Muhindo (former Head Reservations), Gilbert Mwesigwa (Warden Software Developer), Gad Ekochu (Sales Executive), Shafik Twebaze (Sales Executive), Ayupa Susan (Sales Executive), Josephine Kayonza (Senior Sales Executive), Rose Namutebi (Sales Executive), Grace Mubeezi (Senior Sales Executive), Ankunda Brian (Accounts Clerk, Bwindi Mgahinga), Goobi Michael (Records Personnel), and Mwondha Bosco (Accounts Clerk).
Prosecution led by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Hon. Frances Abodo, alleges that the accused officials conspired to issue over 8,400 fake tracking permits, allowing local and foreign tourists to access restricted primate tracking experiences without valid payment. The racket reportedly operated in several national parks, including Bwindi, Mgahinga, Kyambura Gorge, Ruhija, Buhoma, Nkuringo, and Kanyanchu, where gorilla and chimpanzee tracking is tightly regulated.
Investigators found that the fraudulent activities were coordinated through the “Go Chimp System,” where some of the suspects used their personal user accounts to approve fake bookings, while others created shared accounts under false names—such as one reportedly assigned to “intern students”—to process multiple invalid permits.
In one of the counts, former Head of Reservations Leslie Muhindo is accused of inserting and confirming 33 fake gorilla tracking permits for 86 tourists, causing a loss of USD 60,200. Another suspect, Gilbert Mwesigwa, allegedly authorized hundreds of fraudulent bookings worth over USD 1.4 million.
The prosecution contends that senior managers such as Masaba and Ndikusooka failed in their oversight roles by neglecting to put in place effective monitoring systems, which enabled the fraud to thrive undetected for over three years.
The accused pleaded not guilty to all charges. Their lawyers applied for bail, but the prosecution objected, arguing that investigations were still ongoing and that releasing the suspects could interfere with the collection of evidence and witness statements.
Chief Magistrate denied the bail applications and ordered that all fifteen officials be remanded to Luzira Prison until October 31, 2025, when the case will return for mention.
The multi-billion-shilling fraud scandal has sent shockwaves through Uganda’s tourism sector, with conservationists and travel operators calling for an urgent audit of UWA’s electronic permit systems to restore public trust and protect one of the country’s most valuable tourism assets.
