East African Business Week

Kampala,UGANDA - As much as a billion Uganda Shillings (approximately US$415,800) has accumulated in accounts set aside to give communities neighbouring the Murchisons Falls National Park their 20% share from gate receipts, Uganda authorities have said.
This unusually high bank balance, meant to be directed towards approved community projects aimed to bring benefits from wildlife-based tourism to the park neighbours, has been blamed on various reasons and an official of the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) cited delayed project approvals and the recent election campaign.
Another regular source, however, quietly pointed to the upheavals at the Uganda Wildlife Authority in recent months, which according to the source "unsettled staff and disturbed our activities calendar besides the uncertainty over senior staff being in a position to call meetings and take decisions while under the spotlight of the media and our political oversight ministry."
However, other parks did receive revenue share contributions in recent months, as incidentally reported here, but keeping a billion Shillings in a bank account instead of releasing much or all of it to the intended beneficiaries is only fueling suggestions that not all is well within UWA and likely to cause misunderstandings with the communities and their leaders over the delays.
What is to be commended though  is the legal provision in the Wildlife Act that 20% of gate receipts must be set aside to benefit the neighbouring villages of protected areas, something copied by many wildlife management bodies.