By Gerald Tenywa
He is of slight build, quick as a shadow in tall grass, and moving with the grace of a hunter at dawn. Sharp of mind, bold of heart—this is the persona of Dr. Joshua Lubega when duty calls.
I witnessed it all recently in the quiet company of Lubega and Allan Bagonza, the head ranger of Kibale National Park. Their mission was to guide back a wandering elephant believed to have strayed from the park.
Along the dense thickets of River Mpanga, as I watched him prepare the dart, I understood that he is at his very best where it matters most — on the frontline. The elephant, wise and watchful, demanded far more than brute force; every movement had to be deliberate, silent, almost invisible.
A day before the mission’s end, Lubega tested the elephant’s resolve, but the giant would not yield so easily. It moved with calm authority, as though the land itself answered to its presence.
Through the thicket, I glimpsed Lubega slipping into stillness, his body merging with the wild as the giant closed in.
I felt laid bare, as though the wild itself had turned against my hiding; the elephant needed only to bend the path and find me. Its trumpet rang out, a fierce protest against our presence.
Then came a crack like distant thunder—Bagonza’s scare shot, a voice louder than fear. The moment shifted.
I rose into what felt like a second life, running after Lubega, though my body strained and faltered. At last, he spoke the truth we both knew—it was time to pull away.
At the waiting grounds, they plucked the thorns from our flesh—those we felt and those the chaos had hidden. I knew nature can be unforgiving, but passion drives us forward. Lubega would not rest until the elephant was caught.
“I know the elephant attacks only when it sees you,” he told me, a truth carried from experience, honed in the language of survival.
After three relentless days, Lubega slipped into the heart of the wild, tireless and focused. He darted the elephant like a marksman, and the moment was followed by swift health checks before the great creature was guided 40 kilometers to Mainaro, deep within Kibale.
Lubega’s expertise knows no bounds. Last year, he darted four white rhinos that were released to Ajai Wildlife Sanctuary. More recently, he returned to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, darting another two rhinos destined for the wilds of Kidepo National Park.
Who is Dr. Joshua Lubega?
A quick search may capture Lubega in titles—an accomplished wildlife veterinarian and conservationist—but not in spirit. He lives on the savannah winds, where his work with the Giraffe Conservation Foundation and the UWA mobile veterinary response team speaks louder than words.
I stole a quiet moment to speak with Lubega, curious about what drives him. He smiled softly and began, “I grew up on a cattle farm as a child. One day, a vet came to treat a sick cow. The vet removed the diseased eye, and the cow went on to live many more years—beloved by everyone on the farm. He paused, eyes thoughtful. “That moment planted the seed of my passion for this work.”
It was deep within Nakasongola District, nestled in the vast cattle corridor that sweeps from northeastern Uganda through the central plains to the south.
Here, Lubega’s youth took root, nourished by the land, before he set out for Lubiri Secondary School in Kampala under his mother’s (Ruth Nambooze) watchful gaze. Nambooze is a representative of the Kabaka in Buruli County. She hoped he would walk the path of human medicine, but his spirit leaned toward another calling. He left physics behind and chose agriculture. This strategy, he hoped, would garner him more points.
Because of my mother’s high standing, the headmaster kept close watch and swiftly informed her of my change in course. She insisted I return to the physics class, and for two days, I obeyed. But the pull of my calling was stronger. I found my way back to agriculture after gently persuading her about where my passion truly lay. “I did not wish to defy my mother,” he says softly, adding that he insisted because he was married to his dream.
At the close of that long journey, I passed, and Makerere University awaited—a place where my heart beat for only one dream: veterinary medicine.
In his third year, the wild began to claim him. Wildlife medicine-rare, rugged, and unforgiving—became his chosen path. “I like challenges,” he told Wild News Channel.
By the fifth year, a prison farm at Lugore in Gulu awaited, but his dreams stretched farther—to Murchison Falls National Park, where the land breathes wide and free. Through wildlife clubs, the Uganda Wildlife Society, and Nature Uganda, he had already walked among the champions of the wild, earning the name “Ranger.”
He stood before the principal of the College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources, and Biosecurity at Makerere University, asking for a path untraveled. But such journeys were not granted lightly.
Lubega refused to step back. Instead, he climbed higher, carrying his conviction to the vice chancellor, who soon found himself moved by the young man’s quiet fire. A call was made to the principal of veterinary medicine, and with it came a simple decree: Lubega should follow his passion.
And so he went to Murchison, where everything seemed to unfold at once. He arrived at the very moment the first translocation of giraffes to Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve was underway. In that stirring chapter of movement and renewal, he found his footing and caught people’s attention. The Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF) saw his promise and offered him a place as a volunteer.
As graduation drew near, they held on to him, offering a contract before he could slip away to another calling. For two years, he worked among giants, learning their ways. Then came his master’s pursuit, and even before its completion, the Uganda Wildlife Authority called him back—this time as a wildlife veterinarian at Murchison.
His journey stretched beyond borders. It was in Namibia, thanks to the GCF, that he acquired this rare skill—learning to dart and capture the untamed creatures.
He has since taken part in numerous translocations alongside the Kenya Wildlife Service, learning across landscapes and disciplines.
“I have been learning from the best,” he says, with quiet pride. Kenya, he notes, may boast finer equipment, but it is in the most challenging terrains that the deepest lessons are found.
From a lone dart gun and a single expert to small aircraft that aid both rescues and wildlife counts, UWA’s path is still long. He says UWA needs a small plane to dart the animals.
Murchison Falls National Park is never still. It is a restless theater of the wild, where each day brings a new call, a new case, and another test of skill and resolve.
He has sparked the dreams of young vets such as Dr. Nancy Masia, now stationed in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park under UWA. She formerly worked at the Uganda Conservation Foundation. “I want UWA to raise a generation of vets,” he says, “one that may outlive me.”
A thanksgiving was held by his mother, honouring her son who roams the land of lions and elephants. Wedded to the wild, he also cherishes family—a wife and children who keep him grounded.
Like Joshua, who led the Israelites into the Promised Land, Lubega is saving lives today and stepping into the future of wildlife conservation.
Praises flow
Sharon Nuwahereza, UWA’s human–wildlife conflict officer, clad in the proud uniform of her calling, broke into a dance of joy to honour Lubega’s feat. “Not everyone holds the skill to lull a giant into sleep,” she said, her voice steady, carrying the quiet authority of one who walks with the wild and is unafraid.
From the lecture halls of Makerere to the untamed breath of Murchison Falls National Park, Lubega has journeyed alongside his contemporaries, his path shaped by purpose and the call of the wild. “I know Lubega as a hardworking soul who loves wildlife with all his heart,” said Dr. Andrew Rwot, a veterinarian who once served in Murchison (Kaniyo Pabidi) before carrying his craft onward to Ibanda District.
Dr. Martha Kikuviire, a veterinary officer in the Lwengo district, sums up her thoughts about Lubega, with whom she shared a class at Makerere University. “Joshua shows true passion, dedication, and professionalism in his work, always going out of his way to care for animals. He is deeply committed, not only to treating them but also to protecting and conserving wildlife for the future. His love for what he does comes through in his effort and consistency, and his work continues to inspire the veterinary profession.”
