Uganda: Ministry calls for recruitment of environmental rangers

The Ministry of Water and Environment needs over 1,500 environmental rangers to protect the country’s wetlands, riverbanks, lakeshores and central forest reserves. This revelation was made by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Alfred Okidi while appearing before the Public Accounts Committee (Central Government) on Wednesday, 21 October 2026. The meeting was chaired by Hon. Patrick Oshabe. Okidi said the ministry currently relies on 238 police officers for patrols across the leaving a significant gap in enforcement. Okidi said staffing shortages extended beyond environmental enforcement, with the climate change department operating at less than 30 per cent while forestry stood at 35 to 40 per cent. He identified inadequate funding, difficulties in acquiring land and climate change as other major challenges saying the ministry received not more than 40 per cent of the resources required under its strategic plan, the Fourth National Development Plan and the government manifesto. “If you look at our strategic plan, the requirements of NDP IV and manifesto requirements, we do not get the money to meet these mandates. We probably get not more than 40 per cent of what we really want to

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