By Johnson Kanyesige
Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) working with Police in Kikuube district have arrested a man who has been calling himself a staff of the Authority while defrauding members of the public near Bugoma Forest Kabwoya and Kyangwali sub counties.
The suspect has been identified as Atukunda Tobias aka Atukunda Dickens Tobias who has been calling himself UWA Operation Commander in charge of Kidoma sector of Bugoma Central Forest reserve.
In a statement issued by the Authority on August 3, there has been information circulating around Kiziranfumbi and Kidoma of a UWA staff collecting money and allowing community members to access Bugoma Central Forest Reserve to harvest timber and also collecting money while clearing vehicles loaded with charcoal along Butoole – Buseruka stretch of the forest.
The statement adds that the same concern was shared by chairman LC1 of Kidoma village who promised to work with them to solve the problem which had increased concerns among members of the public.
The situation escalated on August 1, 2026 over the weekend when a team of three community members accused the same suspect of defrauding them money after promising them logs of pine trees from Nsozi beat of Bugoma Central Forest Reserve.
Now, according to UWA, the case was registered at Kikuube police station and officers swung into action and arrested one Atukunda Tobias aka Atukunda Dickens Tobias aka Omuhereza Alinaitwe from Pentagon lodges in Kigaya village in Buhimba Sub County.
Later a search was made in the lodge and three clothes belonging to the suspect were recovered including one cream shirt with a logo of Queen Elizabeth National Park, one army green T-shirt with a logo of Queen Elizabeth National Park and one other T-shirt with printed Uganda flag.
Information obtained by Spice FM reveals the suspect has been moving around dressed in these UWA corporate wear disguising as UWA staff calling himself UWA operation commander in-charge of Kidoma sector of Bugoma Central Forest Reserve.
Preliminary Investigations from Police and UWA reveal the suspect is not UWA staff and spent most of his time in Bunyaruguru and Kitagwenda with a few occurrences in Bubogo, Kiziranfumbi and Butoole all around Bugoma CFR during the month of July.
The suspect has been charged with impersonation vide CRB 509/2026 of Kikuube CPS.
“We expect accusations of UWA staff staging road blocks and collecting money around Kidoma and kiziranfumbi to go to zero since the suspect has been arrested”, a statement from UWA added.
