In a way, Entebbe City is seen as a big brother or sister. This is because many urban centres regard Entebbe as a well-planned city. It’s clean and was Uganda’s cleanest town for decades.
Entebbe, in addition to being Uganda’s oldest city, also serves as a gateway to Uganda because it has Entebbe International Airport. The tourist expeditions into Uganda’s pristine areas will most probably start at Entebbe. It is also the gateway into Lake Victoria’s Sesse Islands and Buvuma.
The Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC) has placed wildlife statues on Entebbe’s streets to immerse visitors in the country’s wild beauties.
“We have done this to guide Uganda’s visitors to protected areas, conservation areas, or national parks,” says James Musinguzi, UWEC’s executive director. “We anticipate that the statues will initiate discussions that promote the conservation of Uganda’s biological diversity, also known as biodiversity.”
While Uganda’s national parks are located about 300 kilometres from Entebbe, the residents of Uganda’s oldest city are going to be the first beneficiaries of the eye-catching wildlife statues.
According to David Musingo, UWEC’s Manager for Education and Information, the animal statues have been put in place in the name of beautifying Entebbe.
He also described the statues as educational tools for visitors and youngsters coming to Entebbe. This is home to the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre, formerly Entebbe Zoo. This is also seen as a summary of what Uganda offers in terms of wildlife tourism.
Entebbe is an animal sanctuary with freely roaming wildlife, such as vervet monkeys and black and white colobus monkeys. It also has plenty of wildlife in sanctuaries such as Lutembe Bay and Mabamba Bay, as well as Ngamba Island and Entebbe Botanical Garden.
New kids on the block
The big five—the elephant, lion, buffalo, rhino, and leopard—are the animals on display on the streets of Entebbe. The big five, except the rhinos, are available in Uganda’s national parks and wildlife reserves. Uganda’s move to introduce rhinos back to the wild is in advanced stages. The only rhinos in Uganda stay at UWEC and Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary in central Uganda.
The sculpture streets also showcase various animals and birds, including the Crested Cranes, Uganda’s national bird. The shoebill, which is the most sought-after bird globally, is also on display. Other animals are African grey parrots, giraffes, and rhinos.
In addition to the sculptures on Entebbe streets, UWEC has also gotten a fair share of the spoils with three animal statues: the Uganda kob, the python, and the cobra.
Gorilla most popular
The Mountain Gorilla is the most popular statue on the streets of Entebbe, according to Musingo. “We have seen many visitors taking photos with our mountain gorilla on the street,” he says.
Musingo now estimates that the Sh14b World Bank-aided intervention has progressed by 60%. The initiatives also include the reconstruction of the exhibits at the centre, as well as the construction of a biobank and hospital.
“We are also going to build public sheds and dustbins,” says Musingo, adding that they are also going to put signage and information boards in Entebbe. “We want to promote tourism and beautify the city.”
