HOW LOCALS HAVE BENEFITED FROM TOURISM REVENUE

Uganda’s revenue has increased in the current years because of the increased number of tourists visiting the National parks and wildlife reserves

According to the tourism statistics, In 2004,125,203 visitors were received in the national parks and in 2009 it rose to around 145,000. Because in 1999, tourists were killed in Bwindi, in 1998-2001, there were ADF incursions, in 2001, students from Jimmy Sekasi were murdered and the vicious raids on villages in the northern part of the country by Joseph Kony.

The Uganda Wildlife Authority has been able to fight poverty y in the villages neighboring the protected areas by giving then 20% of the annual park entry fees.

Today, Sh4b has been distributed to the neighboring communities through their local governments with the money to be used to bring services closer to the people and to start income generating projects for the local communities.

All 30 and more districts near the protected parks have projects for funding under the revenue sharing project like classroom blocks, health centres, irrigation schemes, teacher’s houses, school latrines, road construction, tree planting scheme and others.

These projects have helped the locals who have to move long distances looking for markets to sell their hospitals and education.

In villages where school latrines have been constructed under the revenue sharing programmes, there has been an improvement of sanitation in the area. Farmers who used to stay with their crops have been able to sell them at a good profit after new roads have been opened up and old ones reconstructed.

The pregnant women that had been giving birth from bushes and banana plantations have benefitted a lot because they  have access to health centers which has led to a reduction of  maternal deaths in villages near the protected areas.

The statement  that  the tourism income  has not benefitted the local people has  been misinterpreted because apart from the revenue sharing scheme, these communities  have  accessed tourism income directly through selling  of  tourism merchandise like those used for cultural performances and also  working with  tour companies, lodges and Uganda Wildlife Authority.

According to the current records, a porter working in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Mt. Rwenzori and Kibale National Park earns more than any average civil servant in a month.

The total combined direct income that is earned by all the communities near the protected areas in Uganda a year is Sh5b.

At Uganda Wildlife Authority, we believe that while there may still be room for improvement, the achievements that have been made in addressing poverty in the communities neighboring the parks should also be acknowledged.