The Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC) management has tabled a request of Shs10 billion to facilitate the breeding of lions in at least three national game parks next financial year.
The request was laid before the Budget Committee through the Committee on Tourism, Trade and Industry which has since Monday been receiving reports from Sectoral committees about the 2024/25 Budget Framework Papers of various Ministries Departments Agencies (MDAs).
According to the chairperson of the Trade committee, Mwine Mpaka, the money is meant to enable the government to multiply the population of lions that is already said to be dwindling.
Mpaka told colleagues on the Budget committee that tourism requires Shs10b to start breeding lions through Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC).
He revealed that at UWEC now there are 15 lions which have been breeding, but the lion population in the country has gone down because of human wildlife conflict.
He says they are now going to start breeding them in the wild in Queen Elizabeth, Kidepo and Murchison Falls National parks.
He said the ministry requires money to set up different facilities within the national parks where they are going to be breeding and releasing them later.
He reasoned that this decision to consider the said budget is due to the sharp decline in the number of lions in the country.
