Police has arrested and fined 84 people from Gomba district after finding them guilty of poaching in Kyankwanzi district.
The suspects were arrested on Wednesday at Gala village Rwengajju parish, Kyankwanzi sub-county.
They were arrested in an operation mounted by Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) officials and Uganda People’s Force (UPDF) in conjunction with Kyankwanzi police.
On Wednesday evening, the suspects were produced before the Kiboga court grade one magistrate Mastullah Mulondo who fined and jailed them after they all pleaded guilty on entering plea.
Prosecution told court that at the time of arrest, the suspects had already killed Antelopes, Bushbucks, and Ducks.
Court also heard that during the arrest, the authorities recovered 77 spears, 44 pangas, 66 nets, 29 dogs, 6knives and a fuso lorry registration number UAS 818W and were all arraigned in court as exhibits.
The suspects asked for lenience on grounds that they had families to look after, pledging not to repeat the same.
They told court that they had been sanctioned by authorities in Gomba district to come and hunt the wild animals in Kyankwanzi district.
In her ruling however, Mulondo noted that the convicts looked repentant and they did not waste court’s time. She sentenced them to a fine of 50,000 each count and those failed to raise the money be jailed for four months at Kiboga government prison.
Peter Ogwang, the head of operations in the Uganda Wildlife Authority, said that they were tipped off that illegal activity was going in the area prompting them to act.
He said cases of illegal hunting are rampant in Kyankwanzi district. He said in June, 2011, over 10 hunters were also arrested at Kabale village in Kyankwanzi sub-county, charged and imprisoned for 8 months by then Kiboga court chief magistrate Suzan Kayange.
