Uganda Wildlife Authority receives lab-equipped vehicles for health surveillance

The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has received a donation of three (3) vehicles mounted with laboratory and cold storage equipment to strengthen one-health surveillance in five national parks.

The donation made by Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration (GVTC) will see the three Land Cruiser vehicles collect and transport samples from the national parks of Queen Elizabeth, Rwenzori, Semuliki, Bwindi and Mgahinga to the laboratories.

While handing over the vehicles to UWA on Friday, Dr. Andrew Seguya, the GVTC executive secretary, underscored the gesture as a deliberate and strategic investment in strengthening frontline capacity at the human-wildlife-ecosystem interface.

Justifying why the vehicles were designated to the five national parks, Seguya noted that the landscapes are globally significant not only for their extraordinary biodiversity, including the mountain gorillas, but also as key zones where the risks of zoonotic disease emergence and transmission are particularly pronounced.

"We are learning from the lessons we got from the previous pandemics such as Ebola, Marburg, Monkeypox, Anthrax, among others, which injured our people, livestock and wildlife in the region. Therefore, the vehicles we hand over today are not simply transport assets. They are operational tools that will directly enhance one-health surveillance systems, laboratory sample transportation, plus community engagement and outreach," Seguya stated.

He further noted that in the remote and often challenging terrains of Bwindi, Rwenzori, and Semuliki, mobility is a necessity. "These vehicles will ensure that surveillance teams can access hard-to-reach areas; that samples reach laboratories in a timely manner and that communities remain actively engaged as partners in disease prevention," Seguya expressed.

Putting one-health to perspective, Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka said cross-sectoral collaboration, communication and coordination between the conservation, human health and veterinary sectors strengthen early disease detection, preparedness, response and control.

"For example, habituated gorillas from time to time visit community gardens to forage for food. This human-gorillas-livestock contact puts both the gorillas and humans at a risk of zoonotic infections," Kalema explained how zoonotics are partly transmitted.

Meanwhile, the Friday donation is part of a wider project geared towards strengthening the preparedness and prevention of pandemics in the greater Virunga landscape. Dr. James Musinguzi, the UWA executive director, said the new fleet will go a long way in supporting the wildlife laboratory in Queen Elizabeth National Park, as well as supporting other community works.

"Wildlife conservation is not a one-man show. It can be achieved through partnerships that can be built over time. Therefore, this one-health programme aims at addressing health issues among humans, livestock, wildlife and the environment (national parks)," Musinguzi remarked.

Seguya, on the other hand, said the wider project started in July 2025 and will run up to March 2028.

He revealed that in its second year, the $24.5m project has so far seen the training of wildlife rangers and health workers before embarking on sample collection.

The overall project cuts across Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, all of which form the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration. "Whereas 3 vehicles were donated to UWA, a total of 18 vehicles were procured for other GVTC regions," he remarked.

GVTC has a jurisdiction in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda; Virunga and Sarambwe in DRC; as well as Bwindi, Mgahinga, QENP, Rwenzori and Semuliki in Uganda; serving over 2 million people surrounding all the protected areas.