URA Hands over 7421 kgs of Ivory & Other Items to UWA

Uganda Revenue Authority’s Customs Department has handed over 7,421Kgs of ivory &  other items to Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) for safe custody before their final disposal in line with the applicable international laws and regulations.

Others handed over were 766 kilograms of pangolin scales, 11.1 kilograms of hippo teeth, 3 python skins, lion skin, 20 kilograms of buffalo horns, lion jaws and python head among others.they wild life products were intercepted from various smugglersdealing in wildlife products.

It is known worldwide that the wild fauna and flora in their many beautiful and varied forms are an irreplaceable part of the natural systems of the earth which must be protected for this and the generations to come. 

Based on the value of certain species, the inter-agency and international cooperation is essential in protecting them against over-exploitation through international trade.

Speaking at the hand over event at URA offices in Kampala, Abel Kagumire,Commissioner Customs Department, said in a bid to strengthen their inter-agency coordination, a Joint Ports Control Unit (JPCU) was established by a cooperation framework signed in 2015, with the assistance from United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

This consists of Uganda Police Force, Uganda Wildlife Authority and Customs, with its headquarters established at Nakawa URA offices in the year 2017.

The three agencies have together benefited from the joint capacity building exercises facilitated by UNODC, the joint planning, joint interventions, and utilization of the shared resources like the office premises, the computers hand held scanners, etc. as donated by the UNODC.