Bwindi Gorilla Access Under Threat as Kisoro Road Crisis Deepens
Access to one of Africa's most valuable wildlife experiences is becoming harder to guarantee. In south-western Uganda, pressure is building over the worsening state of roads that carry visitors towards the gorilla tracking sectors of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, and local leaders are now calling for public action to force a response from the authorities.
Abel Bizimana, who formerly chaired Kisoro District and holds the title of Lifetime Honorary Wildlife Officer of Uganda, has asked tourism operators and local communities to organise peaceful protests over the condition of the district's road network. His argument is straightforward: when the roads fail, tourism activity stalls, and Kisoro's reputation as a gateway to gorilla country begins to erode.
Bizimana believes that complaints raised by individual businesses carry little weight. Instead, he wants tourism associations, unions and other organised groups to speak with one voice. "Tourism stakeholders should hold press conferences and peaceful demonstrations to highlight the road crisis," he said, adding that government has so far remained quiet on the issue.
At the centre of the dispute is the Karengyere-Nyanamo-Rubuguri-Rushaga-Nkuringo road, which serves Bukimbiri County. This route has taken on far greater importance since the collapse of the Kisoro-Bukimbiri road at the River Mucha Bridge. With the bridge out of service, traffic has been pushed onto a road that many operators say is simply not in a fit condition to carry it. For drivers transporting international guests to Rushaga and Nkuringo, the result has been longer journeys, uncertain timing and rising vehicle maintenance costs.
Kisoro District Youth Councillor Juliet Kamusiime has added her voice to the concerns, pointing in particular to the Nyanamo-Rubuguri stretch. She says the road has been broken up by potholes for more than three years and accuses the Uganda National Roads Authority of failing to act. Her appeal to government is that roads serving tourism communities and destinations should be treated as a priority, not an afterthought.
Political channels are also being used. Bizimana has engaged Bukimbiri County MP Eddie Kwizera Wagahungu, who is reported to have raised the matter with Works Minister Fred Byamukama. Bizimana now wants other legislators representing Kisoro to join that effort, arguing that only a united front will shift the problem up the national agenda.
For the trade across sub-Saharan Africa, this situation carries lessons that stretch well beyond one district. Gorilla permits in Uganda and Rwanda are among the highest-value products on the continent, bought by clients who have often saved for years and who expect the ground arrangements to match the price. A washed-out bridge or a pothole-filled access road does not simply add minutes to a transfer; it introduces risk into an itinerary that leaves very little room for delay, since tracking permits are tied to fixed dates and sectors.
Consultants selling Uganda and the wider Kigezi region should therefore be asking suppliers direct questions about current road conditions, realistic transfer times and contingency routing before confirming departures. Building extra buffer days into gorilla programmes, confirming lodge locations relative to the briefing points, and keeping clients informed about terrain realities are all practical ways of protecting both the guest experience and the agency's reputation.
The broader point is that infrastructure is now a competitive factor in African tourism. As destinations across the continent chase the same high-spending wildlife traveller, the ones that invest in reliable access will win repeat business and positive word of mouth. Those that allow key tourism corridors to decay risk watching demand quietly migrate elsewhere, even when the wildlife product itself remains world class. Kisoro's leaders appear to understand this, and their campaign may well become a test case for how seriously tourism infrastructure is treated in national planning over the next few years.
