Govt makes U-turn on meat ban in Kampala
A butcher cuts meat at the City Abattoir in Kampala on December 21, 2023. Thousands of jobs and livelihoods are in peril following government’s, as yet, unannounced ban on the trade in meat throughout Kampala to stem the spread of a deadly animal disease. PHOTO/FRANK BAGUMA
What you need to know:
- Minister Kabanda in an interview with this publication on Sunday said the Prime Minister, Ms Robinah Nabbanja, had halted the implementation of the ban as government continues to assess the impact of the disease in capital city.
The Minister for Kampala City and Metropolitan Affairs, Ms Minsa Kabanda, has said the ban on selling meat in Kampala as directed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) last week, will not be implemented.
The ban followed an outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease in Kabowa, Rubaga Division, Kampala on February 28, 2024. Through a March 1, 2024, letter to Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), the Commissioner Animal Health at the Ministry of Agriculture, Dr Anna Rose Ademun, directed all local authorities under KCCA to enforce a quarantine restriction on the movement of cattle, goats, sheep and their by-products within Kampala.
"Livestock markets, slaughter places including butcheries, loading grounds and animal shows in the entire [Kampala] district are hereby closed with immediate effect," Dr Ademun's letter read in part.
“The local government administrators, DVO, LCs, chiefs, enforcement personnel and the general public, are requested to enforce quarantine restrictions as per the Animal Diseases Act. Cap 38,” she added.
However, Minister Kabanda in an interview with this publication on Sunday said the Prime Minister, Ms Robinah Nabbanja, had halted the implementation of the ban as government continues to assess the impact of the disease in capital city.
Speaking to this publication in Kampala on Sunday, Ms Kabanda noted that the Prime minister on Friday asked the ministry of agriculture to withdraw the directive as the government continues to assess the impact of the disease in the capital city.
"When we saw the letter we went to the Prime Minister for guidance, she rang the person who had issued the statement and told her to withdraw it until further notice," Ms Kabanda said.
"We are yet to receive further guidance in response to the Prime Minister's directive, but as KCCA we are saying that the status quo remains. People should continue eating meat but we encourage the meat packers to ensure that the animals are tested before being slaughtered," she added.
