In the forest reserves that span the Uganda-Tanzania border, the real value of wildlife isn’t measured in ecological terms, but in the price that traditional healers and treasure hunters are willing to pay for python skins, pangolin scales, tortoise shells, squirrel skins, impala horns, powdered baboon bones, warthog tusks and crested crane feathers.
The products range from being smuggled through deep forest paths to other porous or unregulated entry points.
Demand for these animal parts, believed to cure ailments or unlock fortunes, has spawned a thriving underground trade that quietly funnels millions of dollars across porous borders.
However, behind the rituals and remedies lies a far-reaching financial ecosystem of untaxed income, bribery, and smuggling, an illicit economy that costs Uganda alone over UGX 2 trillion ($550 million) annually in losses linked to poaching and wildlife crime.
The Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) classifies wildlife trafficking and poaching as contributors to illicit financial networks that fuel corruption, organised crime, and trade misinvoicing, while deeply eroding the country’s tax base and conservation capacity.
The shadow economy responsible for this illegal wildlife trade thrives across porous borders in Uganda’s Kyotera, Rakai, and Isingiro districts.
These areas serve as critical routes for smuggling, where products ranging from primate skulls and tortoise shells to crested crane feathers, claws, and eggs move undetected through unregulated forest trails.
In Rakai district’s Kamuli trading centre, two brothers, William Mwesigwa and Daudi Lumala, are among the many cross-border dealers operating in the shadows. They run a modest enterprise transporting wildlife products using an old pickup truck and a tricycle, locally known as a Tuktuk.
Mwesigwa says the stock goes through porous communities in Kibanda and Ntantamuchi sub-counties in Rakai District, as well as Kyakatuuma, Kibaati , and Mutukula in Kyotera, before entering Tanzania. Their supplies come from hunters who are paid based on the type and quantity of animals and birds they deliver.
“We ply safe routes to access our customers in Tanzania. The quantities we carry depend on the demand and orders from our contacts in Tanzania,” Mwesigwa said.
The brothers also collect unique items from Tanzania to sell to clients back in Uganda. “We make at least two round trips every quarter and get between UGX2,000,000 (USD544.53) and UGX3,000,000 (USD816.80),” he explained.
Cultural ties between the border communities exacerbate the situation. The residents share similar traditional beliefs, especially concerning the healing powers of animal parts. Lumala, a dealer and traditional healer himself, notes that demand is only increasing.
“Some wildlife species cure so many problems such as infertility, strengthen relationships, and mental illness while others are used for cleansing to take away misfortunes,” he said.
This invisible trade accounts for the quiet yet persistent poaching in Uganda’s Marabigambo and Sango Bay forest reserves, as well as the Kabanga, Kisoko, and Kibanda forests in Rakai, along with the Minziiro forest in Tanzania.
According to the UK’s defence and security think tank, the Royal United Services Institute, the 2021 report titled “Illegal Wildlife Trade in Uganda: Tracking Progress on ‘Following the Money” states that wildlife trafficking constitutes an illicit financial flow because it generates unregulated, untaxed income that often crosses borders undetected, bypassing formal financial systems.
The profits from these illegal transactions are rarely declared or monitored, and they frequently fund other forms of organised crime.
In Uganda, traders and smugglers in the wildlife black market operate in cash-heavy, informal economies, with proceeds often laundered through legitimate businesses or smuggled across borders to avoid taxes and scrutiny.
These activities deprive governments of critical revenue, distort trade statistics, and undermine economic governance.
A reformed smuggler, Ivan Ndawula, shared insight into the scale of the operation. He once sold snakes, tortoises, monkeys, and pythons sourced from Minziiro and Marabigambo forests to dealers and traditional healers on both sides of the border.
“We created new trails deep in the forests leading to Tanzania and back to Uganda. Authorities did not know or still can’t find most of these routes,” he said, adding that bribes to local officials often ensured a clear path.
Ndawula pointed out that enforcement tends to focus on high-profile species, such as hippos, leopards, buffaloes, and crested cranes, leaving smaller yet high-demand animals, like tortoises, snakes, and monkeys, to vanish unnoticed.
“It is very complex because you will even find Ugandans poaching in Tanzania and smuggling high-demand wildlife products not found in Uganda,” he added.
The demand from traditional healers significantly sustains this trade. Kayinga Kiggundu, head of the Masaka Traditional Healers’ Association, confirmed the use of wild animals in traditional medicine.
“Pangolin scales are used in treating an enlarged spleen, monkey skins are believed to solve spiritual problems, while fur from a giant rat brings good fortune and improved crop yields,” he explained.
Kiggundu said that while the association discourages poaching, the growing demand has led unscrupulous individuals to exploit wildlife for profit. “Our forefathers hunted cautiously and sparingly, but today’s generation has taken it to extremes,” he added.
Francis Emero Luswata, another traditional healer and Operations Commander for Traditional Healers and Herbalists in Uganda, confirmed that crested cranes are being hunted for ritual use.
“Some traditional healers hire hunters to trap cranes and gather eggs. These are used in rituals and herbal treatments and sold to clients in both Uganda and Tanzania,” Luswata said.
He warned that some border community practitioners have introduced harmful beliefs that conflict with accepted traditional healing principles.
“It’s tricky to crack down on this network without a special fund to support whistle-blowers in identifying and reporting culprits,” he said.
Environment, Tourism Officers
Former Masaka Regional Environmental Protection Police Commander Taban Chiriga shared similar concerns. During his tenure, he encountered various challenges in monitoring and curbing environmental crimes along the Uganda-Tanzania border.
“Law enforcement lacks financial resources, monitoring tools, vehicles, technology, and personnel,” he said.
Chiriga acknowledged that corruption among government and security officials has also undermined enforcement. “Some unscrupulous officers turn a blind eye on the offenders and allow them to go without being prosecuted,” he said.
Despite multiple security units stationed at the border, including the Border Internal Security Organisation (BISO), External Security Organisation (ESO), Military Intelligence (MI), and Crime Intelligence (CI), coordination between Uganda and Tanzania remains limited.
Julius Musanya, Rakai’s District Tourism Officer, noted that limited funding and logistical support continue to hinder efforts against wildlife trafficking. “We also lack formal collaborations with stakeholders like local leaders,” he said.
Musanya emphasised that many in border communities view wildlife trafficking not as a crime but as a traditional and economic activity. This cultural perception complicates law enforcement and conservation efforts.
UWA response
Bashir Hangi, Head of Communication and Public Relations at the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), acknowledged that traditional healers often possess animal parts like pangolin scales, monkey and python skins, and more.
“They claim they use them for medicinal or spiritual purposes,” he said.
However, these activities are illegal under the Uganda Wildlife Act, 2019, which imposes stiff penalties for trafficking in critically endangered species.
“Our intelligence and law enforcement teams have intercepted several trafficking attempts in border communities,” Hangi said.
Hangi noted that the trafficking of animals disrupts Uganda’s ecosystem and undermines its tourism appeal.
“As a tourist destination, Uganda is greatly affected. Wildlife trafficking tarnishes the country’s reputation, yet the tourism sector contributes significantly to our revenue,” he said.
In 2024, Uganda earned UGX4.81 trillion (US$1.28 billion) from tourism, up from UGX3.895 trillion (US$1.025 billion) in 2023.
To sustain this growth, UWA intensified surveillance and patrols in known trafficking hotspots, deployed canine units at strategic border points, and enhanced intelligence-sharing with its Tanzanian counterparts. The authority is also working with cultural and traditional leaders to promote conservation-friendly practices.
UWA Performance Report
According to the UWA Annual Physical Performance Report for the 2022/2023 Financial Year, the authority registered a 35.2% increase in the arrest of suspects and a 27.7% increase in the recovery of poaching implements. This compares to 1,586 suspects arrested and 23,939 implements recovered in the FY2021/2022, respectively.
Meanwhile, there was an 11% reduction in the recovery of assorted wildlife and wildlife products compared to the 11,448 recovered in FY2021/2022.
The report further states that several interventions, including law enforcement operations, intelligence and investigative activities, and prosecution of suspects, were implemented.
This is 43% higher compared to the 13142 patrols conducted in the previous FY. The operational efforts resulted in the arrest of 2,145 suspects involved in various illegal activities and the recovery of 10,190 assorted wildlife and wildlife products, along with 30,578 poaching and trafficking implements, including 17 guns, 13 magazines, and 174 rounds of ammunition recovered.
According to the Uganda Wildlife Act, a person convicted of trafficking species classified as extinct or critically endangered faces a fine of up to UGX20 billion (approximately US$5.5 million) or life imprisonment, or both.
According to Wild Aid Africa, Uganda has been an African hub for transnational illegal wildlife trafficking, serving as a source, consolidation and transit point.
Tanzania and Uganda have engaged in collaborative intelligence-gathering missions to dismantle transnational poaching networks operating across their shared border.
A Tanzanian border official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, acknowledged the challenge of unknown porous border points that traffickers exploit in both countries.
“We are trying our best, but you cannot be in every place,” he stated.
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