The High Court in Mbale has ordered the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) to pay Shs160.8 million to Emmanuel Arapmwoko, who was shot in the leg by a game ranger near Mount Elgon National Park in 2021.
In a judgment delivered on October 19, 2026, Justice Farouq Lubega held UWA responsible for the actions of its game rangers and awarded Arapmwoko Shs10.8 million in special damages, Shs50 million in general damages and Shs100 million in punitive damages.
The judge also ordered the authority to pay the costs of the application.
Court heard that the incident happened on October 27, 2021, when Arapmwoko was returning home after visiting his stepfather, Muwaka Stephen, in Kaeplyo village, Kween District.
His father, Mwako William, had sent him to collect money from his stepfather. Arapmwoko arrived in the morning but found Muwaka away and waited until about 3pm.
When his stepfather returned, he told Arapmwoko that he did not have the money. Arapmwoko then set off for home.
As he passed near Mount Elgon National Park, he came across five UWA game rangers in green uniforms carrying guns and sticks. They were driving about 20 cattle towards the forest, apparently to impound them.
Arapmwoko told court that he became frightened and tried to run away. One of the rangers shot him in the right leg. He could not identify the ranger who fired the shot.
His cries attracted people who had been following the rangers after their cattle were impounded. They found him hiding and helped take him to Kaeplyo village.
A boda boda rider later transported him to Kaporon Health Centre III, where his leg was examined and dressed. He was then referred to Kapchorwa Referral Hospital, where he spent two days before being transferred to Kumi Orthopaedic Centre for further treatment.
Medical records presented in court showed that he sustained serious injuries and still required further medical care.
Justice Lubega ruled that the shooting violated Arapmwoko’s rights under Articles 24 and 44(a) of the Constitution, which protect human dignity and freedom from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.
The judge held UWA vicariously liable for the actions of its employees, bringing the total damages awarded to Shs160,877,500.
