GORILLA PERMITS CHAOS! Tour Operators Count Losses As UWA Refuses To Be Flexible On Rescheduling, Curse ED Musinguzi
UWA Executive Director Dr. James Musinguzi
Uganda’s tourism industry is boiling with anger after the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) introduced tough conditions for rescheduling gorilla permits amid growing Ebola fears linked to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
In a May 20, 2026 notice signed by Executive Director Dr. James Musinguzi, UWA confirmed that it had received increasing requests from tour operators seeking to reschedule gorilla tracking permits following reports of Ebola in DR Congo and heightened health surveillance measures in Uganda.
However, the wildlife body made it clear that it would not automatically approve the requests.
Instead, UWA directed that rescheduling will ONLY be considered if tour operators submit “clear confirmation” from overseas agents or clients proving inability to travel due to Ebola-related concerns.
The communication must accompany every rescheduling request before any approval is granted.
Even then, UWA warned that approved requests would depend on the availability of permits on alternative dates within the reservation system.
The authority further tightened the rules by declaring that low-season permits will ONLY be shifted to other low-season dates — a move tour operators say is punishing businesses already struggling with nervous tourists and uncertainty.
Tourism players are now counting losses, saying frightened foreign clients are demanding flexibility while UWA is instead piling on strict requirements and bureaucracy.
“We are trying to save bookings and reassure tourists, but UWA is making the process harder,” one frustrated operator revealed.
Others fear massive cancellations, loss of client trust and possible diversion of tourists to neighboring destinations considered more flexible.
Critics argue that while UWA claims it is safeguarding the integrity of the reservation system and supporting the tourism industry, the hardline stance is instead choking operators at one of the most sensitive moments for Uganda’s tourism sector.
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