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Kampala beef sales drop

Despite the lifting of quarantine restrictions imposed in Kampala district following an outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Kabowa, Lubaga division, on March 1, 2024, beef sales in Kampala have dropped significantly.

This development follows a statement issued on March 11, 2024 by the state minister for Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries, Lt. Col. (Rtd) Dr Bright Rwamirama, which reads: “Reference is made to the quarantine restriction letter dated 1st March 2024 from the Commissioner of Animal Health. The restriction was imposed following a report of a sick animal in a zero-grazing unit in Rubaga Division on 28th February 2024. The technical team has since established that the disease is localized and the affected herd has been put under strict surveillance. Accordingly, the guidelines for safe trade in animal and animal products in non-affected areas, issued on 2nd February 2024, shall apply to Kampala city. Abattoirs operating in non-affected areas/ sub-counties shall continue to operate and receive animals from non-affected areas, provided they do not come from or pass through affected areas.”

The quarantine, though relaxed by Rwamirama, had led to over 35 districts across the country being placed under restrictions to contain the spread of foot and mouth disease. The affected districts include Sembabule, Mubende, Gomba, Kyotera, Lwengo, Kabarole, Rakai, Ngora, Kibuku, Bukedea, Butaleja, Mbarara, among others.

Foot and mouth disease, a viral contagion, predominantly affects animals with cloven hooves, such as cattle, sheep, goats and pigs. Despite the lifting of quarantine regulations, vendors in butcheries and slaughterhouses in Kampala have reported a significant decrease in customer turnout.

This decline in meat purchases is attributed to public concerns about the potential transmission of the foot and mouth disease from animals to humans. Interviewed for this story, Hajji Juma, of Quality Butcher in Kalerewe, said there has been a noticeable decline in regular customers purchasing meat. Juma emphasized that he carefully sources meat from non-affected areas, particularly favoring districts like Soroti, which remain clear of the disease.

“The foot and mouth disease has led many of our regular customers to avoid buying meat. Instead, they are turning to alternatives like fish and chicken,” observed Muhammed, an employee at Masaka Butcher. “This shift in consumer preference has resulted in a noticeable decrease in our usual meat sales, leading to significant losses,” he added while speaking to this newspaper.

Butayi, a vendor of house utensils in Kalerewe market and a regular beef consumer from the same market, shared her experience: “Ever since I consumed meat last month, just before the cattle quarantine was announced due to foot and mouth disease, I’ve had health complications that hindered my work. This experience has led me to abstain from eating meat until the government confirms that foot and mouth disease is fully controlled and no longer present in cattle.”

When The Observer reached out to Aisha Nalubega, the public relations officer of Kampala City Abattoir, she remarked, “Following the circulation of the ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Animal Husbandry’s letter on 1st March about the foot and mouth disease quarantine, we experienced a decrease in meat purchases. Sales were very slow. Normally, the abattoir slaughters 320 head of cattle on peak days, but since the quarantine announcement, we’ve only managed 120, which is significantly lower.”

She added, “The morale of meat vendors has been greatly affected due to this steep decline in sales.” Discussing measures to detect cattle infected with foot and mouth disease, Nalubega highlighted that the Kampala City Abattoir has a district veterinary officer team on-site to inspect cattle upon entry.

Aisha Nalubega, speaking about the operational procedures at the Kampala City Abattoir, stated, “We have a meat inspector at the abattoir’s gate who checks the permit of the lorries bringing animals for slaughter. If we find a cow showing signs and symptoms of foot and mouth disease, we advise the trader to return it. This is because the government hasn’t established standard operating procedures to accurately identify infected animals. It’s difficult to definitively diagnose foot and mouth disease in cattle.”

Nalubega reassured Kampala city butchery customers that the meat sold undergoes rigorous checks to ensure it meets consumer safety standards. Captain Dennis Aubrey Saazi, managing director of Nsooba Slaughterhouse Limited, emphasized the rigorous checks undertaken to ensure meat safety.

“Foot and mouth disease isn’t new and has always been present in grazing areas. It’s consistently treated. Our process includes an antemortem examination where a veterinary doctor inspects the cattle before they are sold. Upon arrival at the slaughterhouse, they are further examined by government-employed veterinary officers and health inspectors to ensure the meat is fit for human consumption,” he asserted.

Salongo Sekanyo Suleiman, chairman of Nsooba Slaughterhouse in Kalerewe market, Kawempe division, expressed gratitude towards the minister of State for Agriculture, Bright Rwamirama, for easing the quarantine restrictions related to foot and mouth disease. This decision significantly impacted the sales at Nsooba Slaughterhouse.

“We are grateful to the government, especially Minister Bright Rwamirama, for rescuing meat traders by allowing us to continue our business. We’re now focusing on our trade, heeding the minister’s advice to avoid sourcing cattle from areas like Kabowa and Lubaga,” Suleiman stated.

Suleiman mentioned that the quarantine previously led to a decrease in meat consumption, resulting in substantial losses for traders due to consumer skepticism. He noted that prior to the relaxation of the quarantine, the slaughterhouse would process 60 to 100 head of cattle during weekends. However, numbers have since dropped, causing cattle prices to rise from Shs 1 million before the outbreak to Shs 2 million currently, leading to increased meat prices in the butchery.

Sekanyo observed a significant increase in meat prices at butcheries, from Shs 13,000 to Shs 17,000 per kilogram. He reassured customers,

“Our meat is not sourced from quarantine areas. Our slaughterhouse is equipped with sufficient district veterinary officers to ensure the meat sold is free from foot and mouth disease- infected animals,” Sulieman added.

Badru Ntamu, director of Nile Abattoir in Masanafu, reflected on the challenges faced due to the quarantine. “Our business was progressing smoothly until the foot and mouth disease announcement. This led to a sharp decline in meat sales and an increase in cattle prices, as the districts we usually source from were under quarantine. The fear of the disease among people compounded our losses.”

“Even after the quarantine was lifted, the number of meat consumers remains low, while operational costs at the abattoir continue to rise,” Ntamu added. Omulangila Lumansi David, chairman of Nile Abattoir, noted that despite the lifting of the foot and mouth disease restrictions, the number of cattle slaughtered has not returned to pre-quarantine levels. “Before the quarantine, we slaughtered over 150 cows on peak days, which has now dropped to around 70,” he compared.

Lumansi notes that due to the government’s quarantine of 35 districts, there has been a decrease in meat supply, leading to a rise in prices. Previously sold at Shs 13,000 per kilogram, meat now fetches Shs 17,000. He assures customers of Nile Abattoir that all meat is inspected and approved for human consumption by the abattoir’s veterinary officer, evidenced by an official stamp.

In an interview with The Observer, a veterinary doctor, preferring to remain anonymous, discussed foot-and-mouth disease. This viral infection primarily affects livestock such as cows, goats, sheep, and pigs, but does not impact animals like donkeys and horses.

Notably, foot- and-mouth disease encompasses seven serotypes: O, A, C, SAT 1, SAT 2, SAT 3, and Asia 1.

“This disease is transmitted through aerosols, which are tiny droplets released when an animal with foot and mouth disease breathes. As infected animals graze, these aerosols fall to the ground. Uninfected animals, grazing or drinking from the same sources, can contract the virus,” explained the veterinary doctor.

Regarding the symptoms of foot and mouth disease, the doctor, listed several key indicators: high temperatures in animals, reduced feeding, development of sores in the mouth and on the hooves, and constant salivation.

The doctor emphasized the urgency of treating foot and mouth disease promptly upon detection to prevent severe consequences, such as the loss of hooves and mouth parts.

“Symptoms typically appear 14 days post-infection. Poorly nourished animals may exhibit symptoms more quickly,” he added.

Discussing disease control measures, the doctor highlighted the importance of bio-control mechanisms such as quarantining infected animals and controlling grazing distances. Before vaccination, animals are tested to identify the specific strain of the virus, which determines the appropriate vaccine.

“The government provides vaccines for affected animals. Due to limited supplies and high costs, we use ring vaccination, targeting high-risk areas. For example, in my district with 500,000 cows, we only receive 50,000 vaccines. This scarcity means we cannot vaccinate all cattle, thus prioritizing areas with the highest risk,” the doctor concluded.

The veterinary doctor highlighted that human infection with foot and mouth disease (FMD) is rare, occurring only through contact with infected cattle or consuming improperly prepared meat. The doctor advised using disinfectants when in contact with cattle afflicted with FMD to prevent health complications.

Dr Simon Namingira, a general health doctor, clarified, “Foot and mouth disease is zoonotic, but human infection typically occurs through direct contact with infected cattle.”

He cautioned against confusing FMD with the distinct human ailment, hand, foot, and mouth disease, which is a mild viral infection predominantly affecting children, caused by the coxsackie A virus. Dr Namingira noted that FMD has an incubation period of 26 days, with mild, self-limiting symptoms including tingling blisters on hands and feet, fever, sore throat, and blisters in the mouth and on the tongue. Patients usually recover within a week after the last blister forms.

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Oil project-affected persons express disappointment in Uganda judiciary

The Tilenga and EACOP oil project-affected households have expressed deep disappointment over the failure of key stakeholders in Uganda’s judicial system to grant them audience to discuss their grievances stemming from a lawsuit filed against them by the government in December 2023.

In a press conference organized at Hotel Africana in Kampala, some members of the 42 of the families sued by the government claimed having travelled from Buliisa district to Kampala with the aim of meeting Norbert Mao, the minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo and the deputy chief justice.

They also intended to meet the principal judge, the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) and others. Additionally, the households wanted to meet Total Energies’ managing director. However, they were unable to meet any of them, stating that their refusal indicated lack of responsiveness and dialogue on critical issues affecting the rights and livelihoods of project-affected people in the oil region.

According to a one Bamutuleki, one of the affected members, they had written letters to various stakeholders, including the ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, the chief justice, deputy chief justice, principal judge, Judicial Service Commission (JSC), and Total Energies, seeking for a meeting to discuss their grievances. However, they were unable to meet any of them for a crucial discussion.

“This lack of interaction leaves us feeling neglected and unheard in our quest for justice and fair treatment in the face of potential evictions related to the oil projects,” Bamutuleki said.

Julius Asiimwe, another oil project-affected person, raised similar concerns about their failure to meet the key stakeholders in the judiciary to address their grievances.

“We are not happy with all these offices. We are aggrieved. We wrote them letters requesting for meetings on specific dates and none of them wrote back to us. Based on the reception we received at the offices we visited, we don’t think that the judiciary understands the implications of its actions on our families, and our children,” Asiimwe said.

The failure to meet any of the officials leaves the future of the affected households in uncertainty after the High court in Hoima gave the government a go-ahead to evict them from their land.

GENESIS

In December 2023, the government filed a lawsuit against the households affected by the Tilenga and East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) projects in Uganda. This was after the affected households had rejected the compensation offered by Total Energies, a French company, which was acquiring the land on behalf of the ministry of Energy, citing it as inadequate, unfair and low.

The affected people said the government valuation did not reflect the value of their land, and the impact of losing their property. They expressed their preference for land in exchange for their property rather than monetary compensation in order to maintain their livelihoods.

Additionally, they claimed it was a violation of Article 26 of the Ugandan Constitution, which protects property rights and ensures fair compensation. However, the rushed court processes led by Justice Jesse Byaruhanga of the High court in Hoima resulted in a judgment against the households within four days of the case being filed, which is arguably one of the fastest court cases to be resolved in Uganda in recent memory.

The court ruling stated that the people’s compensation could be deposited in court and the government could proceed and gain vacant possession of their land.

The affected households did not participate in the court hearing because some of them were even unaware that they had been sued.
According Bamutuleki, other project- affected persons could not travel to the court in Hoima, which was far away from Buliisa, due to the short notice provided for the hearing and their lack of financial resources to cover transportation costs.

“This lack of adequate notice and financial constraints hindered our ability to participate in the legal proceedings and defend our interests,” Bamutuleki pointed out.

Additionally, Bamutuleki stated that they were given a pile of legal documents by the court and no one was there to make the interpretation for them. Most of the project-affected persons are illiterate, a factor that made it harder for them to get a fair hearing.

UNCERTAINTY

Many families say their eviction from land for the Tilenga and East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) projects makes their future unknown given that land is their primary source of income.

While at the press conference, Jelousy Mugisha stated that their daily lives depend on the land for various aspects such as generating income, sending children to school, and accessing medical assistance.

“I have been using my land for many years now to take care of my family because I don’t earn any monthly salary. So, the government giving me money to leave my land and get a smaller one is completely unfair and unconstitutional,” he said.

The families highlighted that they weren’t fighting the government and its projects but only want a fair compensation for their land, which will restore them to their former positions. Mugisha stated that the money the government proposed in compensation for their land is completely low compared to the market prices of the land in the area.

“The size of my land that was acquired is 2.5 acres. The government wants to give me Shs 5 million per acre yet the market price for one acre is Shs 20 million in my area,” Mugisha said.

“If the government really wants the land, let it get us another land equivalent to what we had and we shall agree,” he said.

Dickens Kamugisha, the executive director of the Africa Institute for Energy Governance (AFIEGO), an organization that has been supporting the affected families for a long time, expressed deep concern over the plight of the poor families from the oil region who are facing injustices.

He emphasized the importance of all Ugandans to take a keen interest in their struggles, highlighting the broader implications of the government’s actions and court precedents that allow for the violation of constitutional rights and unfair treatment of landowners.

“As these poor families from the oil region suffer injustices today, all Ugandans should take a keen interest in their plight. With courts setting bad precedents that allow the government to violate Article 26 and other human rights provisions of the Ugandan Constitution, where affected landowners are forced to accept low, unfair, and inadequate compensation, and courts deny people fair hearings, any Ugandan could suffer the same fate,” he warned.

Despite facing legal battles, evictions, and disruptions to their livelihoods, these individuals remain resolute in their pursuit of a just resolution to their grievances.

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Bugoma destruction is adversely affecting Kikuube communities

Once a thick tropical rainforest with tall huge trees, the largest part of Bugoma Central reserve forest in Kikuube district is now a plain area after continued destruction of the forest by human activities such as lumbering, charcoal burning and agriculture.

A drive inside the villages in Kabwoya and Kyangwali sub-counties where the forest is found presents a sight of logs of trees felled to the ground and plantations of maize, beans, irish potatoes and sugarcanes now occupying areas where trees once were.

The part of the forest to Kyangwali through Nyakabale where trees used to create dark shades in the road is now just an easy bare walkway because all the big trees there have been cut down with only the small ones remaining. However, all this is going on under the watch of armed security officers from the army and National Forestry Authority (NFA) who are stationed there in the disguise of protecting the forest against encroachers.

These heavily guard the plantations, lumberjacks and charcoal burners and limit access to the forest to any unknown persons. Desire Nkurunziza, the chairperson of Nyairongo village in Kyangwali sub-county, says he has clear information and evidence that NFA sector managers and supervisors allow some people to go into the forest to cut timber and burn charcoal after being bribed.

“It seems like some government officials don’t want Bugoma forest to exist because they are collecting a lot of money from it. I say this because you cannot be cutting timber from it without paying for a license from the district or burn and transport charcoal without paying a fee to the authorities,” he says.

Apart from the lumbering and charcoal burning, trees have also been cleared to create space for gardens. Nkurunziza says an acre of land in the forest is rented out at Shs 300,000 per season by the army men and NFA officials for which no receipt is given out so that there is no evidence of this wrongdoing.

“The last part of the forest which was still intact was also rented out a few weeks ago and it is soon going to be cleared. When it is time for harvest, these farmers still pay a fee to the NFA guards in order to be allowed to transport their crops out of the forest.”

Nkurunziza’s efforts at saving the forest have always come at a cost as he has been arrested and imprisoned three times on charges of trespass and inciting violence; though whenever he appears in court, no one shows up to accuse him of the said crimes and the judge eventually dismisses the cases.

In 2008, the residents with guidance from NFA formed the Collaborative Forest Management (CFM) which signed a memorandum of understanding with the forestry authority to manage the forest jointly and for the community adjacent to the forest to benefit from it.

According to Paul Mugisa, the chairperson of the CFM, this partnership went on well until 2018 when the NFA staff in Bunyoro stopped collaborating with them and barred any local from stepping into the forest even if for simply collecting firewood.

Hellen Kabanyoro, a resident of Kaseeta village, says they have now resorted to using dry maize stems for cooking because if they are found in the forest even collecting firewood, they are severely harassed and beaten by the soldiers.

“As women, we are so much affected by the fact that we can no longer get raw materials for handicrafts from the forest yet we would make them, sell them and earn some money to pay school fees for our children and buy household items,” Kabanyoro says.

She adds that at the backdrop of all this, there is massive destruction going on in the forest right now and they are constantly asking themselves where the ones digging, burning charcoal and lumbering in the forest untouched get the permission to do so.

HUMAN-WILDLIFE CONFLICT

Since the forest was a habitat for wild animals such as chimpanzees, monkeys, foxes, snakes and baboons, its destruction has made such animals to loiter into communities hence creating human-wildlife conflicts, which the residents claim Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has not helped them address.

“Currently we have animal conflicts because animals like chimpanzees and monkeys which were initially living in the forest are now roaming in the communities because they have no forest to stay in. Recently they attacked a village and destroyed people’s gardens and when the chairman reported, UWA officials came and advised the residents to just agree to stay with the animals and no compensation was made for the crops destroyed by the animals,” said Lamula Asasira, who lives adjacent the forest in Nyairongo village.

More worrying for the residents is the looming climate disaster which is likely to befall the region already being witnessed in the change in rainfall patterns and long dry spells. Most people in the region depend on subsistence farming for food and such conditions are likely to cause hunger.

Hassan Mugenyi, the chairman of the Save Bugoma Campaign in Kyangwali sub-county, notes that water levels in the area have also started going down where rivers like Rutowa and Ohwa which have their sources in the forest have started drying up especially during the dry season, making it difficult for the communities to get water. He adds that strong winds which destroys crops, especially cassava and bananas, have become rampant since the forest used to act as windbreaks.

Equally worrying is that the destruction of Bugoma comes at a time when the country is in final stages of extracting oil from the Bunyoro sub-region which is expected to start in 2025. These oil activities have been projected to generate one million tonnes of carbon annually.

The forest reserves in Bunyoro should, therefore, absorb those emissions before other forest reserves in other parts of Uganda.

“In 2019 when we were being sensitized about the oil activities, we were told that this forest will be vital in absorbing the carbon emissions but if it is being destroyed, how are we going to live in this area when the oil production starts?” Asasira wonders.

The continued destruction of Bugoma has not only hurt nature but also left communities grappling with high rate of school dropouts, especially among the boys as most have ran away from home and dropped out of schools to go work in the forest as lumberjacks, charcoal burners and gardeners in maize plantations within the forest where they earn quick money.

For the girl children and women, the situation is even more disheartening as area leaders claim that men who have recently come into the area to work in the forest especially from areas of Busoga, West Nile, DRC and Rwanda have raped and defiled women and girls leaving
some pregnant. Some of these men rent within the communities while others have temporary shelters they stay in within the forest.

According to Rovinsa Namatovu, the chairperson of the Women council in Nyairongo village, so far six girls and an elderly woman have been raped by the men who come to cut down trees in the forest who attack them when they have gone near the forest to collect firewood or when the girls are on their way from school in the evening.

“There is even a girl as young as seven years who was raped but the man ran way before he could be arrested. The child spent weeks in Hoima regional referral hospital getting treatment. What is sad is that these men are untouchable that even if we report them to the authorities, they are never arrested or if they are arrested, they are immediately let go, Namatovu lamented. Both Asasira and Kabanyoro also attest to these rape and defilement allegations.

Meanwhile, in an interview with The Observer, NFA spokesperson Juliet Mubi couldn’t talk much about the allegations of continued destruction of the forest because the issues of the forest land demarcations are still in court. She, however, said that there is an area near the forest which is under Hoima Sugar Limited, and not NFA management; so, those activities could be happening in the areas where they (Hoima Sugar) are managing.

“There is an area which is not under our management where we have also seen a lot of illegal activities. But forest management is a daily exercise. We do routine patrols and when we find any illegal activities happening, we arrest the culprits, take them to court and there are some who have been convicted,” she said.

WAY FORWARD

Mugenyi says 30,000 residents signed a petition to parliament to save the forest and protesting Hoima Sugar Limited’s alleged encroachment on it. They also want the responsibility of conserving the forest to be rested in the residents. But seeing the continued destruction of the forest with no government action to save it, they have started a campaign of planting trees on their own land such that they try to mitigate the negative effects of losing Bugoma.

“We started this campaign about a year and a half ago with support from different civil society organizations and Buganda Kingdom where we have so far planted over 28000 trees in the sub-counties of Kabwoya and Kyangwali which are adjacent to the forest. We have planted indigenous tree species such as Prunus Africana, Warburgia Ugandensis and Tamarind which existed in the forest as well as fruit trees like avocado, mangoes and jackfruit which people can depend on for a livelihood,” he says.

Mugenyi, however, appeals to the government to support this initiative by providing them with free tree seedlings and to also come up with other interventions of helping the residents who used to benefit from the forest whose livelihood has now become difficult.