UWEC raises entrance fees, targets extra Shs2b income
UWEC Executive Director Dr James Musinguzi and officials from JICA and Japan's Chubu University gesture during the opening of the African Grey Parrot Conservation Centre in Uganda on March 27, 2024. PHOTO/EVE MUGANGA
What you need to know:
- According to Mr James Musinguzi, the Executive Director of UWEC, they have not increased entrance fees in the last 10 years yet the cost of almost every item needed in caring for animals and birds has gone up.
The Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre (UWEC), formerly known as Entebbe Zoo has raised its entrance fees to make an extra Shs2 billion in income.
According to Mr James Musinguzi, the Executive Director of UWEC, they have not increased entrance fees in the last 10 years yet the cost of almost every item needed in caring for animals and birds has gone up.
“Now the greatest challenge we have is the cost of operation. First of all, you have to meet customer demands and needs in terms of product diversification," he said during an interview with the Monitor on Tuesday.
"We increased entrance fees to make sure that we provide an improved service to our clients in terms of diversified animal products and services, but also maintenance of the infrastructure and equipment that has been put in place to promote safety and security at the centre," he added.
He cited an example of a Lion that eats 8 kilograms of meat per day which costs about Shs100,000.
“People should put this into perspective in terms of the feeds. We need to run the Centre effectively, so when we talk about increasing fees we are aiming at providing a better service that is appealing to our clients in a safe environment and that's because we are members of the Pan African Zoo Association and World Zoo Association, so we must follow those standards," Mr Musinguzi.
In terms of infrastructure development, Mr Musinguzi said they have built safer enclosures like the Lion enclosure, and expanding the chimpanzee enclosure.
"We have had to increase the space and work on roads within the centre to ensure there is no more dust and mud and all this infrastructure requires maintenance. For example, we need 24-hour power on hotlines within the exhibit so that the animals don't escape."
However, Mr Musinguzi said due to increased entrance fees they expect the number of visitors to reduce, but will instead make extra income.
"For the calendar year ending 2023, our numbers were 619,000 visitors, but for the financial year, we were at about 500,000 visitors. So, we expect that visitors may reduce from 500,000 to 450,000, but we expect the income to increase from Shs 4.5 billion to Shs6.5 billion so that we can earn more Shs2 billion to be able to help us run the centre," he said.
The UWEC boss said they have diversified the animals that they keep at the centre including all the species of big cats that are taught in the school curriculum.
“Some learners and even mature people were confusing the different cats. They were calling Tigers Cheetahs and vice versa. So, for us to support the school curriculum, we had to make sure we bring the diversity of cats being taught in the school curriculum because UWEC acts as a practical centre and when the children learn about these animals in school, they come and learn practically at UWEC."
