The fight over the ownership and management of Rhinos at the Nakasongola based Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary has taken a new twist by drawing in top government officials in the saga.
The fight is between Flight Captain, Joseph Charles Roy (JCR) and his family trading as Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranch (ZRWR) at one hand and a South African investor, Angella (Angie) Genade, the Executive Director of Rhino Fund Uganda (RFU) on the other.
Capt. Roy accuses Genade of attempting to grab his 16,000 acres of land he had leased to RFU while Genade has been accusing him (Capt. Roy) of wanting to evict them from the ranch.
The latest is that Nakasongola district Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Dan Muganga and Molly Kamukama (in featured photo), the Principal Private Secretary to the President have been drawn into the conflict, with reports indicating that the duo is frustrating President Yoweri Museveni’s directive to solve the matter once and for all.
It is understood that Chris Kamukama, the husband to Molly Kamukama and an investor in the hospitality industry has influenced the wife to support Genade’s ‘cause’. Chris is reported to have a good working relationship with the RDC and Genade.
Apparently, working with the RDC, Genade and Chris are planning to obtain a protection order from a court defeating any repossession efforts Roy may have of the Amuka Lodge that is located inside Ziwa Sanctuary on one hand and the cancellation of his lease hold titles by the Nakasongola district head quarters.
The Roy family accuses the RDC of delaying any arbitration efforts by promising to call a mediation meeting which he never did.
This bought time for Angie to defend her ‘illegal’ stay on the lodge, they say. He instead deployed Police to stop Roy from accessing his land.
Museveni Intervention
President Yoweri Museveni recently brought the two parties embroiled in the fight over the ownership and management of Rhinos at the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary in Nakasongola to a round table.
Sources reveal that Museveni met Captain Charles Roy’s family led by his daughter Bonnie Wendy and lawyer Richard Omongole of Omongole and Company advocates on one hand and Angie Genade, a South African national currently managing the Nakasongola-based Rhino Fund Uganda (RFU) that runs the sanctuary.
Also in attendance were district officials from Nakasongola, Uganda Wildlife Authority officials and the Tourism Minister Ephraim Kamuntu.
The President gave each of the two parties time to explain their case and after listening ruled out that the land in question belonged to Capt. Roy and nobody would forcefully take it away from him, reports say.
He however tried to ask both parties to reconcile and run the business jointly but the Roy family rejected the move, noting that they had tried to engage RFU way back before chaos at the sanctuary escalated but were not given the opportunity.
President Museveni directed State House head of legal department Flora Kiconco to review documents handed over by bought parties and report back to him within the two weeks.
Kiconco confirmed the President had directed her to write a report.
“I was directed to study the documents relating to the matter and submit the report to the President,” Kiconco told Saturday Vision.
However, Roy’s side is accusing Chris and Genade of ‘using’ Molly Kamukama to influence Kiconco.
It has also been established that both the RDC and the Nakasongola LC 5 Chairman, Sam Kigula have on several occasions attended meetings with Genade both at the sanctuary and top hotels in Kampala on matters related to the Ziwa Rihno sanctuary.
Unconfirmed reports indicate that they were also facilitated for the State House meeting on 21st March 2019.
Genade is also accused of severally holding meetings with the executive including a one Richard and Diso in the company of the RDC, Chris Kamuka and a one Daudi Makoborer from Dar es Salaam.
Sources say the meetings of these ‘partners’ are to discuss strategies on how best Roy can lose his land.
This conflict has the fate of over 24 Rhinos at the Zziwa Rhino ranch sanctuary in Nakitooma village in Nakasongola district hang in balance.
Background
Captain Roy was among the few who initiated the idea of re-introduction and breeding program of Rhinos into Uganda. He voluntarily offered his 16,000 hectares of land for the conservation of Rhinos and opted to purchases another land where he shifted all his cattle.
Roy used his own plane to transfer some of the Rhino’s that were donated from the US and brought others from Kenya including setting up the entire infrastructure which included digging up boreholes and securing using donations to set up a fence.
He later entered into a 30 year lease with RFU but terminated it last year after they failed to honor terms of their agreement.
In return, the RFU threw Roy and his representatives out of the board and used police to deny them access to the ranch including his own homestead which he had built and that the RFU was using police who are illegally deployed at his ranch.
