DSWF News - Uganda: Why Kampala is the Heart of Illegal Ivory Trade

Thanks to the vigilance and honesty of a Uganda customs official in Busia, Uganda, a Chinese woman was recently arrested and charged with attempting to smuggle ivory out of the country in her airline baggage. This is just one incident amongst many.

In the last six years, four large consignments of ivory have been intercepted by the Uganda Wildlife Authority. However, "There is great suspicion that most traffickers have become smarter and ivory could be getting out of the country undetected," says a local customs officer.

About five years ago, a tonne of ivory was ground and mixed with cassava flour and smuggled to China. It was impounded in Shanghai.

Why is the trade continuing unabated?

According to a UWA official, in some cases, officials in charge of checking illegalities, turn a blind eye. "Such cases of illegal transactions in ivory have swallowed some of the security personnel who are supposed to be checking it," says a source that preferred anonymity.
"There is no way such quantities can pass the check points without being detected."

Unclear circumstances

In the latest case, a consignment of ivory allegedly entered Uganda from the DR Congo through Burundi, but the trafficker and the ivory remained elusive until last week. According to a source, over 300 pieces of ivory were impounded three months ago and the trafficker arrested. They also arrested the trafficker suspected to be a Burundian, but he was released under unclear circumstances.

Poaching and corruption

Kampala has become the heart of illegal trade in ivory. The trade is masterminded by businessmen mainly from West Africa and China, who wield a lot of influence in the Uganda Police, the army and diplomatic circles.

Once, UWA used ivory and fake traders to penetrate the criminal gangs.
"We thought we had got evidence and arrested the suspects on Friday and took them to Central Police Station, Kampala but after the weekend, the suspects were already out and mocking UWA," says a source. "There was no sufficient evidence to incriminate the suspects."

The hunters are hunted

All roads of illegal ivory from the DR Congo lead to Uganda because of the strong network of traders and security agencies.

According to sources in the wildlife trade, a former law enforcement officer in UWA, Sam Tugume, was on the verge of exposing the traffickers, but was arrested as a rebel of the People's Redemption Army.

In another incident last year, security personnel and the Uganda Revenue Authority impounded about 300kg of ivory at Kabusu in Kampala. But the culprits, believed to be part of rackets masterminded by West African businessmen, disappeared.

UWA and Government institutions building capacity

Over 30 officials recently convened at Kireka Sports View Hotel in Kampala at a meeting organised by UWA and Interpol on wildlife to share experiences with the Police, customs and immigration officials from Busia and Entebbe.

"We have to share experiences to break down the criminal gangs," said Karl Karugaba, working with the DSWF-supported Lusaka Task Agreement. Karugaba, who worked with UWA for over a decade, remembers how frustrating it was to weed out criminals.

However, things are better and UWA is hot on the heels of the traders implicated in the illicit trade in ivory. "It is almost impossible to poach in the protected areas in Uganda," says Moses Mapesa, the executive director of UWA.

Mapesa attributes the illicit trade, which has left many elephants dead, to the political unrest in the DR Congo.

He says, this has created a safe haven for criminals disguised as investors to deal in ivory. As a result, endangered animals like elephants and rhinos have been butchered by gunmen in eastern DR Congo.

Fortunately, wildlife authorities in DR Congo are making most of the protected areas secure, according to Mapesa.

UWA's law enforcement department has increased its manpower, bringing on board people with skills in legal and intelligence gathering.

UWA now has an ivory detector that can be used to check the ivory in case it is mixed with other commodities like maize flour.