The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The High Court has fixed April 26, 2021, to give it’s decision on an application seeking to stay the eviction of Rhino Fund Uganda that has been operating at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary in Nakasongora district.
The date has been fixed by the Civil Division Registrar Jameson Karemani after hearing submissions from the lawyers representing both parties who were in court.
The parties are Rhino Fund Uganda which is the applicant and the respondents are Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranches Limited with Captain Joseph Charles Roy who are the owners of the 62 square kilometer piece of land where the sanctuary is located.
The applicant Rhino Fund Uganda, a non-governmental organization that has been managing 33 white rhinos at the said sanctuary contends that Captain Roy wrote on April 16, 2021, asking them to vacate his land on grounds that the organisation no longer had business there since Uganda Wildlife Authority had revoked their license.
Court heard that the respondents breached the contract by cancelling Rhino Fund Uganda license and therefore if an interim order is not granted, they will suffer irreparable damages.
Court further heard that the said agreement was signed on August 20th 2002, to run for 30 years and it was cancelled in January 2021, 18 years later. And that Captain Roy recently on April 16, 2021, wrote to Rhino Fund Uganda asking them to vacate the premises on April 23rd 2021.
As such, Rhino Fund Uganda asked court to give them an interim order staying the eviction adding that they had invested heavily in terms of infrastructure development like fencing the entire land, putting up sanctuary buildings and establishing sanctuary road networks among others.
However on their part, the respondents who were being represented by lawyer Richard Omongole have told court not to allow the application.
Omongole argued that there is nothing at the moment that is left for Rhino Fund Uganda since they recently vacated the premises and established new headquarters in Jinja.
He noted that the organisation is no longer managing the Rhinos adding that even their licence was revoked, so there is no way they can go ahead and stay on the land because they no longer have any business there.
According to the respondents, the government of Uganda has since taken over full control of the Rhinos and all activities on the sanctuary.
Therefore, Omongole asked court to dismiss the application saying that granting it will be supporting another illegality.
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