The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) faces scrutiny after failing to provide a clear explanation for a Shs368 million payment made to the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) in Pay As You Earn (PAYE) taxes. UWA officials appeared before Parliament’s Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (Cosase) to address queries related to financial mismanagement and other issues plaguing the animal authority.
During the session, UWA executive director Sam Mwandha and finance director Jimmy Mugisha revealed that the payment to URA followed an audit by the tax body. However, they failed to specify the source of the funds, prompting concern from committee members.
Committee chairperson Medard Lubega Ssegona and other legislators expressed frustration at the lack of clarity regarding the origin of the funds used to pay the taxes. Mugisha initially stated that the money came from the salary budget but later retracted his statement, indicating that it was sourced from UWA’s collections.
The committee demanded a detailed explanation from UWA officials on the source of the Shs368 million and expressed concerns about potential financial mismanagement. They emphasized the need for accountability and warned against causing financial losses to the government.
In addition to the tax expenditure issue, Cosase also grilled UWA officials on other matters such as understaffing, overspending, failure to remit game parks’ collections, accumulating rent arrears, and delays in procurement and the use of World Bank funds.
UWA officials are expected to provide further clarification on gorilla tracking permits, delayed procurement, failure to utilize World Bank funds, and internal audit discrepancies when they appear before Cosase again on February 21.
Last year, reports surfaced regarding a fraudulent scheme involving the sale of gorilla tracking permits, potentially resulting in significant financial losses for the government. The auditor general’s 2023 report highlighted UWA’s failure to provide necessary documents for scrutiny, raising concerns about financial transparency and accountability within the authority.
