Why illegal DRC-Uganda timber trade continues to thrive

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When looking for the best hardwood in Uganda, Ndeeba, a bustling hub along the Kampala-Entebbe road, will be one of your destinations. Amidst garages and makeshift shacks, is where timber dealers like Charles Oloya ply their trade. It is a place where choice abounds, and for those seeking premium hardwood, particularly mahogany, the answer often points across the border to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

From DRC, timber comes in abundance. “Once you get here, you can be spoilt for choice,” Oloya declares, ushering our writer, posing as a customer, into his timber shed, sandwiched between many other sheds. “What do you want? We have mahogany from Congo,” he asserts. The fresh scent of recently felled timber hangs heavy in the air, a testament to the swift journey from forest to the market. Ndeeba is one of the largest timber markets in Kampala.

The section that exclusively sells Congolese hardwood is not visible from the road — it is hidden between small makeshift buildings and can hardly be found without asking for directions. Despite its raw state and being tucked away from public view, the timber is in high demand and sells “like hot cakes”. Oloya readily admits the wood is often not well seasoned, moving as quickly as it arrives. For those seeking dried timber, he points to a premium market on Kampala- Ggaba road — also supplied by the DRC — where timber is held longer.

Bwaise, on the Kampala-Gulu highway, is another known destination for a robust stock of timber, including mahogany. The effortless flow of timber from deep inside Congo raises pertinent questions about its journey. Oloya attributes the smooth operation to his employer, “a highly connected person who used to work in the army”.

This connection, he says, bypasses the usual concerns about sourcing, movement from the DRC and crossing the border into Uganda. “I only get to know when there is a consignment coming, and that I should be ready to receive it,” he states, confident that “the timber has no problems once it gets into Kampala.” Congo has been a major source of hardwood for Uganda’s market since the late 1990s, when the Ugandan army invaded the country and was accused of plundering its natural resources.

In 2022, the International Court of Justice ruled in Congo’s favour, ordering Uganda to pay $325m (about sh1.16 trillion) in compensation for the plunder. The legacy of that war has largely shaped crossborder trade between the two countries ever since.

“The war brought a higher involvement of state (military) officials in the cross-border trade,” wrote Prof. Kristof Titeca in his 2012 paper on illegal logging in East Africa. Titeca is a professor of development studies at the Institute of Development Policy, University of Antwerp, Belgium.

Moses Musoke, a timber trader in Ndeeba, a Kampala suburb, explains that while timber dealers pay taxes to the Uganda Revenue Authority, they also bribe security officials, especially at Karuma and Pakwach bridges, when it comes to timber originating from DRC via Lia and Vurra routes.

Illegal trading in DRC

Timber that ends up in Uganda comes from north Kivu, Haut-Uele, Tshopo and Ituri provinces, according to sources privy to the timber trade both in Uganda and the DRC. Local communities there have expressed concern about the continued illegal logging that leaves them with nothing. For instance, in the village of Makoko II PK4 in Mambasa, Ituri province, uncontrolled logging is rampant.

The forest that once provided protection and sustenance to the local population is disappearing at an alarming rate. For residents, each felled tree is a piece of their life lost.

“Before, this forest gave us everything: The wood to build our homes, the fruits to feed us, the plants to heal us. Today, these trees are almost all gone,” Jean-Marie, a farmer in Mambasa, said.

The disappearance of the forest is not only an environmental issue — it disrupts the local economy and increases poverty. The people of Makoko II, who once lived off timber, fruits and medicinal plants, have been left helpless by this pillaging.

According to Shabani Mangokele, a village chief in Makoko, environmental crimes are being committed in full view of the authorities tasked with protecting the forest.

“These loggers follow no rules. And yet, they keep operating with complete impunity. It’s as if environmental laws simply don’t exist,” he says bitterly. Maître Raphael Kyenya, an environmental crime advocate in Makoko, adds: “This trafficking is well-organised, with complicity at multiple levels.” From the forest, timber is first aggregated in eastern DRC towns like Bunia, Beni and Butembo. It is from these towns that it is exported to Uganda.

A tree cut down in one of the forest area in Pangoy village, Bapere sector in the North Kivu Province of Eastern Congo due to illegal logging. (Courtesy)

Traders in these towns rarely care about legality. “People don’t ask where the wood comes from. What matters is the quality and if it sells well,” Pierre Meta, a wood trader in Butembo, said. Kyenya attributes this trade, which is costing the country and communities dearly, to corruption.

“Corruption is a major problem. Some loggers would rather pay bribes than follow the rules. As a result, illegal timber moves freely,” he stated.

However, provincial officials mandated to fight the illegal trade cite a severe lack of resources. An agent from the environmental department in Bapere sector, North Kivu, acknowledged during an informal interview: “We are asked to fight illegal logging, but without transportation, logistics or sufficient staff, it’s a mission impossible.”

Eng. Munguriek Uvon, the head of forest management at the Ituri provincial environmental office, said the best way to protect forests from illegal logging in Congo is by following the 2002 Forest Code reinforced by the ministerial order of October 29, 2016, which sets out the conditions for timber exploitation.

He said inspections to check the legality of logging are organised whenever necessary. Uvon explained that the law requires loggers to submit licence applications by September 30 of the previous year. These must include a community agreement — locally known as Mapatano — signed with the forest-owning community. “Communities hold key decision-making power as forest guardians,” he said.

But on the ground, enforcement tells a different story. Civil society representatives in Mambasa say the mandatory technical inspections of logging zones that would curb illegal logging and trade are often ignored. “In reality, the logger picks the trees they want, without proper oversight,” one representative noted.

What can Uganda do?

Ugandan officials are aware of the illegalities surrounding Congolese timber on the local market, but there are no easy solutions.

Referencing a 2013 study by the World Wildlife Fund Uganda, which revealed that 80% of timber on the local market, including mahogany from the DRC, was illegal, Bob Kazungu, the assistant commissioner for forestry at the Ministry of Water and Environment, points to Uganda’s porous borders as a major challenge.

Bob Kazungu, the Assistant Commissioner for Forestry at the Ministry of Water and Environment. (Courtesy)

Kazungu explains that the porous borders make it difficult for authorities to effectively crack down on the illicit trade. “What is needed for timber is a movement permit showing the origin of the timber and a harvesting licence, which are issued by the Congolese government in the DRC,” Kazungu said.

However, Gaster Kiyingi, the chairperson of the Environment and Natural Resources Network, a civil society organisation in Uganda, points to the critical breakdown in a system that was designed to prevent illegal timber trade. He recalls a “chain of custody” that was being implemented during colonial days and continued by some post-colonial governments, where timber was traced from the source.

That system, however, “was eaten up by corruption,” Kiyingi said. Timber dealers now hire armed escorts to evade taxes and frustrate tracking efforts, leading to a significant loss of government revenue.

Conservationists also suggest that regional entities such as the East African Community, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species regulate the illegal timber trade in the Great Lakes region.

This story, first published in New Vision print edition of June 30, 2025, was supported by InfoNile in partnership with Global Forest Watch