Why UWA’s Moses Mapesa was shown the door
THE sacking of Moses Mapesa, the executive director of the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), and the suspension of top directors came after weeks of infighting pitting management and the board of trustees led by Dr. Boysier Muballe. They had disagreed over allowances for the new board of trustees.
By Gerald Tenywa
THE sacking of Moses Mapesa, the executive director of the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), and the suspension of top directors came after weeks of infighting pitting management and the board of trustees led by Dr. Boysier Muballe. They had disagreed over allowances for the new board of trustees.
On May 4, following requests from various agencies to increase allowances, Julius Onen, the permanent secretary (PS) of the Ministry of Tourism, sent a circular to agencies including UWA that the retainer should be left to agencies to decide, “but it should not exceed sh300,000 per month.â€
The PS is also supposed to advise the minister on remuneration of the board, but Muballe by passed him and proposed his own rates, which he presented to Kahinda Otafiire, the minister of tourism.
“These parks are spread throughout the country and neighbour more than 30 districts. This calls for proper and effective supervision of management to ensure compliance with the set guidelines and standards. This effective governance can realistically be achieved by well motivated and facilitated trustees,†wrote Muballe to Otafiire while lobbying for the increase of the emoluments.
In a letter dated June 29, Otafiire wrote to Mapesa saying: “I hereby approve of the emoluments/remuneration of the trustees of UWA 6th board as proposed by the chairperson in his letter reference BOT/01/10, dated June 25, 2010 for effective supervision and management.â€
Muballe demanded for a retainer of sh2m, a sitting allowance of sh300,000, night allowances of $200 (sh400,000) and travel allowances of sh800 per kilometre, which was approved by Otafiire. In addition to this, Muballe is entitled to an entertainment allowance of sh1m per month, 200 litres of fuel per month and airtime worth sh200,000 per month.
Sources say if the board of trustees meet in Queen Elizabeth National Park, the chairperson can walk away with sh7m or sh8m, which is double the gross pay for a full-time director at UWA. Sources add that Andrew Kasirye, the previous board chairperson, was entitled to a retainer of sh1m. He was not getting entertainment allowance and no drum of fuel (200 litres) monthly.
They also say that Mapesa stood his ground contesting the increased allowances and the fact that the circular from the PS who is supposed to advise the minister was disregarded.
“According to the Wildlife Act, the board can negotiate their emoluments with the minister and the PS is not mentioned. The board resolved that I engage the minister. If the PS is contradicting the minister, he should be fired,†Muballe told New Vision.
He added: “It was Mapesa who opposed. Why did he oppose when we had also increased his salary? The investigations have nothing to do with emoluments. Our observation of improper conduct of UWA came before the board discussed emoluments. I appealed to the minister for more pay in view of the chaos in UWA, which requires more supervision. At the moment, I spend more time at UWA than the executive director does.â€
In a letter dated July 19, Muballe warned Mapesa about insubordination, misconduct and incompetence and faulted Mapesa on 15 different issues among them, “failure to implement the ministerial directive on board remunerations.â€
He noted that his concerns constitute a serious breach of the Wildlife Act which Mapesa is obliged to uphold. “The relevant committees of the Board will duly investigate these matters further with your input,†stated Muballe.
Mapesa wrote on July 30 responding to Muballe’s accusations.
“In my career spanning 22 years in wildlife conservation and management where I have held several technical and managerial positions both in the field and headquarter level and been promoted on merit through the ranks up to the very top where I have served for five years, the issue of incompetence, insubordination, misconduct let alone “gross†misconduct has never arisen. I have accordingly been appointed on merit, to serve on several boards in Uganda and abroad.
He added: “I also serve in advisory capacity on a number of international bodies under the World Conservation Union and UNESCO. I have received local and international awards. I would not serve in these capacities and be recognised if I were incompetent or conduct myself in unacceptable manner. I categorically deny all the allegations you have levelled against me as listed in your letter of July 19. You even went ahead to warn me without an investigation, a hearing and a board resolution.â€
Sources say Muballe is attempting to micro-manage UWA, a situation which is likely to fuse management and the board eroding the existing checks and balances.
Muballe’s team was appointed in April but it is questioning so many things ranging from irregularities in sport hunting deals, fraud in the friend a gorilla campaign, mismanagement at Ziwa Rhino Scheme, creation of illegal departments and irregular recruitment of staff.
In addition to anomalies in remuneration of the board, sources say the appointment of the board contravenes the Wildlife Act.
According to the Wildlife Act, the board should have nine members with proven professional experience in finance or economics, management of large enterprises and matters relevant to management of protected areas.
The board should have representation from tour operators, a representative of the private sector, wildlife and finance and a representative of the communities.
Mapesa wrote to the minister on March 13, 2009, with continuity, technical wildlife management issues and regional balancing in mind. “Wildlife management is driven by science, ecological and socio-economic factors,†he said.
He proposed among others, Prof Eric Edroma, formerly director of Uganda National Parks and UWA. He also proposed Derek Pomeroy who is a seasoned trainer with a lot of experience in all wildlife protected areas in Uganda and East Africa.
Others included Prof Michael Ocaido with wildlife bias especially in light of diseases like Ebola, Avian flue, Marburg and anthrax and Ben Kashambuzi, retired commissioner of the petroleum exploration and production department.
“About 90% of the oil activities are in the national parks and wildlife reserves, therefore his inclusion would help balance the two interests.â€
From the previous UWA board, Andrew Kasirye who served as chairperson, Ibrahim Sekandi, Bamusedde Bwambale, Kibale Wambi, and Connie Tumusime were still eligible.
From Mapesa’s proposed list, Otafiire appointed only Kashambuzi on the current board. Muballe’s board is full of politicians and key representatives like business operators, hoteliers. Communities whose crops are eaten by wild animals remain unrepresented.
Was Minister Otafiire aware of the legal implications?
THE sacking of Moses Mapesa, the executive director of the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), and the suspension of top directors came after weeks of infighting pitting management and the board of trustees led by Dr. Boysier Muballe. They had disagreed over allowances for the new board of trustees.
On May 4, following requests from various agencies to increase allowances, Julius Onen, the permanent secretary (PS) of the Ministry of Tourism, sent a circular to agencies including UWA that the retainer should be left to agencies to decide, “but it should not exceed sh300,000 per month.â€
The PS is also supposed to advise the minister on remuneration of the board, but Muballe by passed him and proposed his own rates, which he presented to Kahinda Otafiire, the minister of tourism.
“These parks are spread throughout the country and neighbour more than 30 districts. This calls for proper and effective supervision of management to ensure compliance with the set guidelines and standards. This effective governance can realistically be achieved by well motivated and facilitated trustees,†wrote Muballe to Otafiire while lobbying for the increase of the emoluments.
In a letter dated June 29, Otafiire wrote to Mapesa saying: “I hereby approve of the emoluments/remuneration of the trustees of UWA 6th board as proposed by the chairperson in his letter reference BOT/01/10, dated June 25, 2010 for effective supervision and management.â€
Muballe demanded for a retainer of sh2m, a sitting allowance of sh300,000, night allowances of $200 (sh400,000) and travel allowances of sh800 per kilometre, which was approved by Otafiire. In addition to this, Muballe is entitled to an entertainment allowance of sh1m per month, 200 litres of fuel per month and airtime worth sh200,000 per month.
Sources say if the board of trustees meet in Queen Elizabeth National Park, the chairperson can walk away with sh7m or sh8m, which is double the gross pay for a full-time director at UWA. Sources add that Andrew Kasirye, the previous board chairperson, was entitled to a retainer of sh1m. He was not getting entertainment allowance and no drum of fuel (200 litres) monthly.
They also say that Mapesa stood his ground contesting the increased allowances and the fact that the circular from the PS who is supposed to advise the minister was disregarded.
“According to the Wildlife Act, the board can negotiate their emoluments with the minister and the PS is not mentioned. The board resolved that I engage the minister. If the PS is contradicting the minister, he should be fired,†Muballe told New Vision.
He added: “It was Mapesa who opposed. Why did he oppose when we had also increased his salary? The investigations have nothing to do with emoluments. Our observation of improper conduct of UWA came before the board discussed emoluments. I appealed to the minister for more pay in view of the chaos in UWA, which requires more supervision. At the moment, I spend more time at UWA than the executive director does.â€
In a letter dated July 19, Muballe warned Mapesa about insubordination, misconduct and incompetence and faulted Mapesa on 15 different issues among them, “failure to implement the ministerial directive on board remunerations.â€
He noted that his concerns constitute a serious breach of the Wildlife Act which Mapesa is obliged to uphold. “The relevant committees of the Board will duly investigate these matters further with your input,†stated Muballe.
Mapesa wrote on July 30 responding to Muballe’s accusations.
“In my career spanning 22 years in wildlife conservation and management where I have held several technical and managerial positions both in the field and headquarter level and been promoted on merit through the ranks up to the very top where I have served for five years, the issue of incompetence, insubordination, misconduct let alone “gross†misconduct has never arisen. I have accordingly been appointed on merit, to serve on several boards in Uganda and abroad.
He added: “I also serve in advisory capacity on a number of international bodies under the World Conservation Union and UNESCO. I have received local and international awards. I would not serve in these capacities and be recognised if I were incompetent or conduct myself in unacceptable manner. I categorically deny all the allegations you have levelled against me as listed in your letter of July 19. You even went ahead to warn me without an investigation, a hearing and a board resolution.â€
Sources say Muballe is attempting to micro-manage UWA, a situation which is likely to fuse management and the board eroding the existing checks and balances.
Muballe’s team was appointed in April but it is questioning so many things ranging from irregularities in sport hunting deals, fraud in the friend a gorilla campaign, mismanagement at Ziwa Rhino Scheme, creation of illegal departments and irregular recruitment of staff.
In addition to anomalies in remuneration of the board, sources say the appointment of the board contravenes the Wildlife Act.
According to the Wildlife Act, the board should have nine members with proven professional experience in finance or economics, management of large enterprises and matters relevant to management of protected areas.
The board should have representation from tour operators, a representative of the private sector, wildlife and finance and a representative of the communities.
Mapesa wrote to the minister on March 13, 2009, with continuity, technical wildlife management issues and regional balancing in mind. “Wildlife management is driven by science, ecological and socio-economic factors,†he said.
He proposed among others, Prof Eric Edroma, formerly director of Uganda National Parks and UWA. He also proposed Derek Pomeroy who is a seasoned trainer with a lot of experience in all wildlife protected areas in Uganda and East Africa.
Others included Prof Michael Ocaido with wildlife bias especially in light of diseases like Ebola, Avian flue, Marburg and anthrax and Ben Kashambuzi, retired commissioner of the petroleum exploration and production department.
“About 90% of the oil activities are in the national parks and wildlife reserves, therefore his inclusion would help balance the two interests.â€
From the previous UWA board, Andrew Kasirye who served as chairperson, Ibrahim Sekandi, Bamusedde Bwambale, Kibale Wambi, and Connie Tumusime were still eligible.
From Mapesa’s proposed list, Otafiire appointed only Kashambuzi on the current board. Muballe’s board is full of politicians and key representatives like business operators, hoteliers. Communities whose crops are eaten by wild animals remain unrepresented.
Was Minister Otafiire aware of the legal implications?