Wildlife Crime: 22 Nabbed In Nakaseke With Suspected Bushmeat, Oribi Horns

By Swift Reporter

Police in Nakaseke District have arrested 22 people and recovered an assortment of suspected wildlife-hunting equipment and animal products during an intelligence-led night patrol in Wakyato Subcounty.

The suspects were intercepted on August 17 at Mijumwa Trading Centre after a police patrol team stopped a white Toyota Hiace taxi carrying the group, according to Savannah Region Police spokesperson Sam Twiineamazima.

Twiineamazima said officers searched the vehicle and recovered several items suspected to be connected to illegal wildlife hunting and possession of wildlife products.

Among the recovered items were pangas, spears, hunting nets and knives, as well as plant roots and leaves. Police also recovered smoked and fresh meat suspected to be from wild animals, three pairs of Oribi horns, five bushbuck-related exhibits and porcupine quills.

“A white Toyota Hiace taxi was intercepted with 22 occupants. Inside the vehicle, the police recovered suspected hunting gear that included pangas, spears, hunting nets, knives, plant roots and leaves, smoked and fresh suspected wild meat, three pairs of Oribi horns, five bushbuck and porcupine quills,” Twiineamazima said.

Police have opened a case of unlawful possession of wildlife species against the 22 suspects, while investigations continue into their alleged activities and whether they may have been involved in earlier wildlife-related offences.

The suspects are expected to be transferred to the Standards, Utilities and Wildlife Court once investigations are completed and the relevant charges are finalised.

Under the Uganda Wildlife Act, 2019, unauthorised possession of wildlife specimens or products, as well as prohibited hunting equipment, constitutes a criminal offence. Persons convicted of such offences may face penalties provided for under the law, depending on the nature and circumstances of the offence.

Authorities have, however, not yet established whether the suspected wildlife products recovered from the suspects originated from Nakaseke or another location.

The arrests come amid continued efforts by law enforcement agencies and wildlife authorities to combat poaching and illegal trafficking of protected wildlife products in Uganda.

In June 2026, two people were arrested in Kapelebyong District after they were allegedly found in possession of ivory suspected to have originated from young elephants in the Karamoja Sub-region.

Earlier, in February, a suspect identified as Francis Opira was arrested in Nwoya District after being found in possession of 154 kilogrammes of raw elephant tusks.

Uganda Wildlife Authority sources have previously raised concerns that some suspected wildlife traffickers exploit porous border points to move protected animal products out of the country.

The judiciary has also handed down custodial sentences in wildlife-related cases. In October 2025, a poacher identified as Albert Oyirwoth was sentenced to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to unlawful entry into Murchison Falls National Park, hunting and possessing five buffalo heads.

The latest arrests in Nakaseke are expected to provide investigators with an opportunity to establish the source of the recovered wildlife products and determine whether the suspects were part of a wider wildlife trafficking or illegal hunting network.