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KAMPALA - The Standards, Utilities and Wildlife Court at the Buganda Road in Kampala has sentenced two men to five years in jail over illegal possession of ivory.

Chief Magistrate Gladys Kamasanyu sentenced Robert Ecat and Charles Kanyenya to five years or a fine of shillings five million after they pleaded guilty to illegally possessing ivory weighing 10.65kg. 

By press time the convicts had not paid the fine.

While, delivering the sentence on July 31, 2023, Kamasanyu said she took into consideration the fact that the convicts are first-time offenders, the period they spent on remand and that they did not waste the court’s time.

Kamasanyu said there is need to send a clear message that wildlife trafficking is a serious offence in Uganda.

The duo admitted that on July 12, 2023, they had in their possession ivory without permission from the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA).

Prosecution, led by Hamis Latif, said Ecat and Kanyenya, at Namayiba Bus Terminal in Kampala, had in their possession three pieces of ivory.

Elephants as protected species

Elephants are protected species under Appendix number one of the Convention on International Trade. 

It is endangered species of wildlife fauna and flora. Also, the International Union for Convention on Nature (IUCN) lists African forest elephants as endangered species.