Up close with Kaddu Sebunya, the ‘accidental’ conservationist

Few people make headlines on conservation topics, however, Kaddu Sebunya, the CEO of African Wildlife Foundation, is known as the big African voice when it comes to the protection of wildlife and wild ranges. With no educational background in ecology, he boasts of 25 years of experience in conservation of nature and other related activities –at least the passion with which he can speak about it is a testament. He holds two Master’s degrees in sustainable resource management and policy and in law, policy and diplomacy. The 57-year-old tall and firm man with visible strands of grey hair is a husband and father of two. He is Ugandan but identifies himself as a global citizen. Besides conservation, one thing that is so dear to him is Pan-Africanism. As a young boy, Sebunya wanted to be involved in developmental work in terms of fighting poverty, food security, rural development, and gender equality, something he says he picked from his family. However, his conservation story begins in his mid-twenties when he was doing his first development project in the middle of Kidepo National Park in Uganda to help a fishing village get fresh water. “I saw wildlife around them and nobody cared and I said to myself, if Africans continue taking these things for granted, which provide water and provide for people, then we are in trouble,” he narrated. Sebunya says he “stumbled on conservation by accident” through education, work, and curiosity. It brought him to an understanding that nothing succeeds unless nature supports it. “I started reading and digging further and found myself a strong believer in conservation. I interacted with ecologists for about 20 years and I know a bit about their experience.” Having been lucky to work on several conservation projects in Africa and abroad, he uses that experience to “represent wildlife that doesn’t speak in many conversations with people who speak.” He worked with conservation institutions like Oxfam UK, the World Conservation Union, IUCN, USA Peace Corps, Conservation International, Solimar International, and is now the Chief Executive of AWF. The anthropologist and political scientist notes that along his line of work, the most interesting scenario he had is his first experience with mountain gorillas. “They help you understand how small you are. When you observe them, they are giants and strong but they don’t hurt anyone…they are our closest cousins. It’s humbling to see a specie that is almost very close to us, you can’t help it but think about yourself and your role in this world.” As primates, the lifestyle we’ve chosen can’t sustain us, given that we are more intelligent than any other specie but the capacity to damage…when you see wildlife, actually, we might not be intelligent as we think we are, he says. Asked what makes him smile, Sebunya laughed and quickly responded: “My children and family. The success of my family in everything we do, however small it is. The achievement of my family at a household level makes me smile.” But on a larger scale, it’s everything African for me, he added, it’s the success of Africa in a globalized world. “My context is Africa’s position in the world, not as if it exists on its own as I hear some Pan-Africanists sometimes discuss Africa. I discuss Africa within a global community, what our role is, power, and relationships. With every success Africa makes, I am excited and happy.” Retirement His perfect picture of retirement is being able to afford a continuous life of learning and travel. “The more you interact with different species including people, you appreciate who you are,” Sebunya says. “I hope that if I retire I won’t be tired and will be able to just gain more time to do that, without work but sit back to absorb and observe the interaction parks will have with humans and other species in different parts of the world.” What Sebunya is proud of among his achievements is the resources and opportunities he got to contribute in his line of work, for the rest “someone will talk during my burial and will say what that looks like,” he laughed. However, to his younger self, he would tell him of the importance of working hard and ensuring the interaction with people is respectful as well as recognizing the presence of others. “If I learned that earlier, I would be a better person.”

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Up close with Kaddu Sebunya, the ‘accidental’ conservationist