Published on 07/10/2024
President Museveni has suspended fees for travelers passing through Murchison Falls National Park due to the Karuma Bridge closure. He emphasized that only tourists should be charged, ensuring local travelers are not burdened. This decision aims to ease movement and support the community during the bridge’s closure.
This decision was disclosed by Government Chief Whip, Hamson Obua, during a press briefing at Parliament, where he provided updates from the recent NRM Caucus meeting held at State House Entebbe.

“The President made it clear that non-tourist travelers should not be charged for passing through the park. The Vice President will chair a meeting next week with the Ministry of Tourism, Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and MPs to finalize the matter. The conservation sector has raised concerns, particularly about large vehicles scaring away wildlife. However, the President noted that large vehicles transit through other parks without issues, so we need to harmonize these concerns,” Obua stated.
This development follows protests by MPs from Acholi, Lango, and West Nile regions, who have voiced their opposition to the Ministry of Tourism’s decision to charge each traveler UGX 25,000, in addition to the fees already imposed on bus operators (UGX 210,000 per route) and smaller vehicles (UGX 40,000 per route).
In response to the President’s directive, Obua confirmed that Vice President Jesca Alupo will convene a meeting to address the conservationists’ concerns and find a balanced approach to implementing the Presidential order.
“There have been long queues and vehicles being charged on the roadsides. Conservationists argue that large vehicles could threaten the animals, but those same vehicles are already being charged and passing through the park. So, the question arises: are they really a threat to the animals? And what about other parks? A comparative analysis is needed to determine if large vehicles pose a similar threat in other parks,” Obua explained.
Obua also announced that the NRM Parliamentary Caucus has resolved to hold monthly meetings, with the next session scheduled for the first Friday of the month at Kisozi. The meeting will allow MPs to witness the socio-economic transformation President Museveni has brought to the people.
During the caucus, Museveni’s address focused on four key areas: prioritizing the economy by investing in roads and electricity, promoting environmental conservation by halting rice cultivation in wetlands in favor of fish farming, intensifying the fight against corruption, and urging leaders to supervise wealth creation initiatives and other government development programs.
When questioned about the President’s commitment to fighting corruption, particularly following his pardon of former Local Government Permanent Secretary Kashaka Muhanguzi—convicted of misusing UGX 4.2 billion meant for purchasing bicycles for Local Council One leaders—Obua deflected the criticism. He accused journalists of focusing solely on the arrest of MPs.
“I think the issue with the media is that you’re fixated on MPs being arrested. MPs, for God’s sake, aren’t in charge of managing funds; we only handle appropriation and oversight. Apart from those involved in shady deals, MPs are not accounting officers. Meanwhile, people are being quietly arrested and produced in courts over corruption, but you seem to overlook those cases,” Obua noted.