Jane Goodall: Chimpanzees' champion and her last moments in Uganda

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She stood still, eyes glued on the golden setting sun as its rays bounced on the water ripples of Lake Victoria on the crisp evening of August 24, 2023. The golden hues of setting rays bounced on the calm waters, only distracted by the thousands of egrets perching off the 100-acre forested Ngamba island towards mainland Mukono district. This moment drove Dr Jane Goodall to a memory lane that she could only smile about.

The renowned Ethologist had visited Uganda (which would turn out to be her last visit), to celebrate 25 years of Ngamba sanctuary, an island that she pioneered to offer refuge to orphaned chimpanzees, among others that are intercepted in the pet trade. At both (last) visits (in 2018 and 2023), Goodall, upon completion of her public engagements somewhere in Entebbe or Kampala, would rest on Ngamba Island, lying in serenity with the human closest apes- the chimps.

Dinner had passed rather quickly that evening, and the blazing campfire beckoned Goodall in the company of a few subordinates to a raised balcony stretching a few metres to the shoreline. By that campfire on the night of August 24, the (then) 89-year-old Goodall sat on a raised balcony, smitten in the tranquil and rhythmic waves of Lake Victoria, shimmering under a bright sky with a tapestry of twinkling stars trying to outcompete the moon.

The campfire glowed on, as the flames cast a gentle light on Goodall's face. With the world asleep, it turned out to be a night of trading stories, banter, whiskey and laughter, punctuated by nature's soothing lullaby of the rhythmic sound of waves. 

"What's the secret to your long life," inquired Masereka, one of the animal caretakers, to which Goodall retorted; "Of course I eat only food from plants and some whiskey." She later chuckled at the reply. This is a place Goodall had always called home.

Meeting the First Lady

Aboard Air Tanzania Flight number TC 0214, Goodall had arrived at Entebbe Airport on August 20, 2023, before meeting the First Lady, who was also the patron of Ngamba chimpanzee sanctuary. During the meeting at State House on August 21, Goodall underscored the importance of bringing people together to discuss and share how to try to solve the problems that the wild environment is going through, such as habitat loss, pollution, extinction of some of the animal species, and climate change, among others.

The ethologist, also a United Nations ambassador for peace, stressed it to the First Lady that supporting Ngamba Island and protecting the environment of the wild chimpanzees was not only important for tourism, but also for the honour of Uganda, Tanzania, DRC and wherever the chimpanzees and other primates live.

From left; Joshua Rukundo the executive director for Ngamba Chimpanzee sanctuary, Jane Goodall, Diana Museveni and James Byamukama, the executive director for Jane Goodall institute in Uganda during a dinner at the EU ambassador residence in Kampala on August 22. (Credit: Julius Luwemba)

Public Lecture

After the meeting with Mrs Janet Museveni, Goodall held a public lecture at the Sheraton Kampala Hotel the following day. The lecture was premised on the theme of Goodall's vision for a harmonious coexistence between humans and wildlife, focusing on "the emerging high levels of deforestation in major chimpanzee habitats occasioned by the extensive commercial development."

Launch of Chimpanzee Conservation Strategy

"Chimpanzees are important in their own right, not because they bring money into the country but because each one of them is an individual with his or her own place on the planet," Goodall said, adding, "Because of the growing number of humans and an increasingly lavish lifestyle with some people, we are making too great a demand on the natural resources; taking up too much habitat away from animals and then we get wildlife-human conflict."

She was launching the abridged National Chimpanzee Conservation Strategy for Uganda, during a dinner that was organised at the residence of the European Union ambassador at Kololo in Kampala. The dinner, which was organised on the evening of August 22, 2023, attracted several delegates from across the world, and officials from Ugandan authorities led by tourism minister Col. (rtd) Tom Butime.

Goodall further noted that animals invade people's crops because their own food source is vanishing. 

"So, the Chimpanzee conservation campaign we are signing tonight is very important," she expressed optimism, adding that the same had been done in Tanzania a couple of years ago.

The Chimpanzee conservation strategy that was launched by Goodall for Uganda provides a framework to co-ordinate efforts among stakeholders, including central and local government agencies, non-governmental organisations, private sector companies, researchers, and local communities, to protect chimpanzee populations and their habitats, promote sustainable and conservation-compatible land use practices and support communities' co-existing with chimpanzees.

Lilly Ajarova, the former chief executive officer for Uganda Tourism Board, receiving a prestigious award from Jane Goodall, for her outstanding work in tourism and conservation, having steered Ngamba chimpanzee sanctuary for 14 years. (Credit: Julius Luwemba)

Ngamba @25 years

Goodall was the chief guest during the dinner that climaxed the celebration of 25 years of the existence of Ngamba chimpanzee sanctuary. The dinner was organised at the Commonwealth Hotel, Munyonyo, in Kampala city, before she retreated to the chimpanzee island the next day. A place she always called home.

About Dr Goodall

Until her demise on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, Goodall, DBE, the founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, had been named the United Nations (UN) ambassador for peace. She was a world-renowned ethologist and activist, inspiring greater understanding and action on behalf of the natural world. She is known for groundbreaking studies of wild chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania, which forever redefined our understanding of the relationship between humans and other animals.

This transformative research continues today as the longest-running wild chimpanzee study in the world. Until her death, Goodall has been travelling for an average of 300 days a year, speaking about the threats facing chimpanzees, other environmental crises and her reasons for hope. Prior to her last visit to Uganda in August 2023, Goodall had also visited the Pearl of Africa in 2018 when Ngamba chimpanzee island, under the stewardship of Lilly Ajarova, was celebrating 20 years of accommodating orphaned chimps.