About this event:
The Kabwoya-Kaiso Wildlife Management Area (KKWMA) was officially gazetted as a reserve in 2002. Previously, in the early 1960s, the Uganda Game Department established the Kaiso-Tonya area on the shoreline of Lake Albert as a Controlled Hunting Area (CHA) to regulate sport hunting through special licenses and quotas, particularly for species such as Uganda kob, buffalo, and hartebeest. However, effective management ceased in the mid-1970s due to political instability. The KKWMA, encompassing 194 square kilometers in Hoima District, includes the Kabwoya Wildlife Reserve (87 sq. km) and the Kaiso-Tonya Community Wildlife Area (107 sq. km). It is bounded by the Albertine Rift escarpment to the east, Lake Albert to the west, and separated by the Hohwa River. This area is critical for maintaining ecological corridors in the Albertine Rift, linking it to the Bugoma Forest Reserve.

The KKWMA, the only relatively intact savannah area along a 200 km stretch of the Lake Albert shoreline, features diverse landscapes including the Albertine Rift escarpment, gently sloping shelves, and alluvial sands indicative of an ancient lake floor. The vegetation consists mainly of Hyparrhenia and Themeda grasslands with patches of dry thicket and riverine forest along the Hohwa River. Fauna includes notable populations of Uganda kob, bush duiker, oribi, warthog, bushbuck, bushpig, colobus monkeys, and smaller populations of hippos and buffaloes. Large carnivores such as leopards and hyenas are also present, with chimpanzees residing in the riverine forests. The reserve has seen a decline in certain species like Bohor reedbuck, hartebeest, and giant forest hog, but conservation efforts continue. Access to the area has improved significantly with upgraded roads from Hoima, enhancing its connectivity and management.