The Aviation Police at Entebbe International Airport led by Superintendent of Police Irene Mugoya, who represented the Commandant Aviation has handed over confiscated wildlife exhibits to Ms. Margaret Kasumba, the Assistant Commissioner for Law Enforcement who represented the Executive Director of Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA).
The exhibits have been in the custody of Aviation Police Entebbe since 2011 after being confiscated through joint operations with UWA and other security agencies at the airport .
Manager Public Affairs at Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) , Mr. Vianney Mpungu Luggya , said that the handover was a testament to the effectiveness of the security, screening and enforcement mechanisms in place at Entebbe International Airport to detect, intercept , and prohibit illegally trafficked items.
” It demonstrates the strong collaboration among the various government agencies responsible for safeguarding Uganda’s borders and protecting global wildlife resources,” Luggya stated .
Luggya added , ” We wish to caution all individuals and criminal networks that may intend to use Entebbe International Airport as a transit point for illegal wildlife products or any other prohibited items that such attempts will be detected and dealt with in accordance with the law. The airport’s surveillance, screening and enforcement systems remain robust, and offenders will face the full force of the law.”
Ms. Kasumba thanked the security agencies and in particular the Aviation Police for having secured stock of all the impounded items as recorded in the UWA inventory system over the period.
The items handed over in total were 8857.84 kg of a wide range of endangered and protected wildlife products including ivory (both raw and worked), pangolin scales, rhino horns, hippopotamus teeth, skins, lion teeth and ostrich egg shells. Some of these items had been concealed in tins labelled as shea butter in an attempt to evade detection, highlighting the sophistication of wildlife trafficking networks. Strengthened security measures, including the deployment of a canine unit in 2018, have been helpful in curbing the vice.
SP Mugoya also extended appreciation to UWA for responding positively to the request to take over the exhibits and commended the joint teams from UWA and Aviation Police, who conducted the inventory and confirmed that all exhibits were intact and properly accounted for. It was noted that while a small portion of the seized items originated from within Uganda, the majority were traced to have originated from other countries and were attempting to use Entebbe as a transit route.
