(Posted 24th May 2024)
Following serious complaints by visitors to Murchison Falls National Park by foreign tourists, local visitors, tour operators and park staff about the impact of the sudden inflow of transit traffic – and in good part about the at times reckless behaviour of truck drivers – have stakeholder consultations taken place between all affected parties including the Uganda Wildlife Authority and the Uganda National Roads Authority.
Why this has not taken place before the onset of the diversion of traffic through the park, will probably remain the usual mystery and can in part be attributed to the haste with which the diversion was announced and implemented.
Pundits have at a very early stage of the traffic diversion voiced their concerns about the image impact on Uganda’s tourism industy as a result of the huge number of trucks driving through the park on a route which has until then been the primary entry route for tourists visitors and the negative experiences these paying guests took home with them – including their posts on social media which at times ridiculed the conservation efforts for the park.
However, as a result of the meeting and the strong words which were reportedly used against this kind of impact of the initial diversion, has UNRA now directed that heavy traffic – except large passenger busses – must now use a different route through the park which is fully paved and reduces the journey through the park to a distance of just 20 kilometers.
ATCNews will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates to readers as and when further changes are made.
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