Entebbe Botanical Gardens safe – UWEC

The Executive Director of Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC), Dr James Musinguzi, has assured the public and intending tourists of safety at Entebbe Botanical Gardens.

This follows the recovery and detonation of a bomb near Rolex Beach within the Gardens on Tuesday.

"Security has taken interest in that matter, it's going to comb the whole place with the canine unit to ensure that there aren't any more explosives and deployment of the counter-terrorism, tourism police, regular police and UWA ranger force, is starting immediately to ensure the safety of revellers," he told the Monitor on Wednesday.

Mr Musinguzi said the entity is going to put in place metal detectors as part of the Garden's access control measures.

“People should be checked as they head into the Gardens, we are going to introduce here the same model that is at the Zoo,” he said.

Mr Musinguzi said the entity is going to fully fence off the gardens to ensure that the access points are limited to one entry and exit gate to ensure easy monitoring and security.

On Wednesday when the Monitor visited the gardens, there was a heightened sense of security with police officers deployed at both entrances of the gardens. The police canine unit was seen patrolling the grounds with the normalcy of both local and foreign revellers touring different parts of the gardens.

The Kampala Metropolitan Police Deputy Spokesperson, Mr Luke Owoyesigyire, Tuesday said that preliminary investigations suggest that the item was a non-spent ordnance buried underground for years, exposed due to soil erosion.

Mr Owoyesigyire urged the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious items promptly to facilitate swift police response and save lives.

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