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Sanga Town: Perfect place to invest in livestock farming
Sanga Town is littered with small retail shops but still has numerous investment opportunities. photo by ALEX ASHABA
What you need to know:
If you are looking to acquire land for livestock farming, Sanga Town might be it. Located in Kiruhura District on Mbarara-Masaka highway, it’s strategically placed 35 kilometres east of Mbarara Town, and 20 kilometers west of Lyantonde Town.
In the north it shares the border with Lake Mburo National Park. To travellers in western region, Sanga Town has established itself as a stop centre for livestock products. Many of the towns’s residents supply livestock products that include meat, fresh milk ghee and cheese from their farms. The place is also known for its delicacy Nyama choma (roasted meat).
It is, therefore, no surprise that the major economic activity in and around Sanga is cattle keeping.
Mr Safari Mugyenyi, the LC III chairperson of the town council, says the area produces a lot of cattle products rendering this the major source of income for residents.
“Apart from abattoirs in Kampala, there is no abattoir in the country that slaughters as many animals. We can slaughter between 50-70 cows and goats every day. There is a lot of milk and other livestock products so investing here in livestock business remains highly viable,” says Mr Mugyenyi.
He says investing here in agro-processing especially of livestock products like dairy and modern butchery can be a great deal.
Wildlife
The town also has a variety of wildlife. One can be forgiven for thinking there is no boundary between the town and national parks. Part of Sanga town council was Lake Mburo National Park that was gazetted in 1986.
A common sight of wild animals like the zebras, Uganda Kobs grazing with cattle is a tip to why investing in community tourism is a good deal here.
Heritage
Through activities like craft making, museums, can be a sure source of income. Sanga Town Council is the biggest urban centre linking directly to Lake Mburo National Park .The Sanga- Lake Mburo National Park 21 km road connects to one of the park entrances, the Sanga Gate.
Population
Because of business opportunities, the area has people from all tribes including those from across borders that is Congo, Burundi and Rwanda.
Mr Mugyenyi says the population of Sanga at present stands at about 100,000 people. These live in 13 cells and four parishes.
Social services
The area has a government health center III in the middle of the town and also has a host of private health service providers.
It has piped water only in the central business area. If one is interested in investing away from the center, they might require interventions to ensure regular water access including investing in water harvesting and digging of dams. The area has three government primary schools and a host of other private schools but has only one secondary school.
Hotels and accommodation
Sanga has a host of moderate hotels and restaurants. There are also cottages. These tap into the tourism sector. However, if you are looking for ‘classy’ hotels you might have to go to neighbouring Lyantonde and Mbarara districts.
Security
Sanga town has a police station, which is boosted by highway patrols from either side of Mbarara Town, Kaguta Road and Lyantonde Town.
The LC system here is also very active. New entrants have to be screened before they can be left to reside here.
Roads
Save for the Mbarara-Mbarara highway that is tarmacked, the area other roads are dusty but passable-murram roads.
Cost of Land
A plot of 50 by 100 along the main road (Masaka-Mbarara road) can go for between Shs60 and Shs80 million but the farther you go off the road, the cheaper it becomes. You can get the same plot for between Shs5 and Shs15 million.
The cost of land here differs according to the need, location and the bargaining power.
