Residents in Jinja Town are worried about the state of Jinja main Abattoir where cattle and sheep are slaughtered before they are distributed to various butchers. The abattoir is located in Industrial area, Walukuba West parish, Walukuba-Masese Division in Jinja Municipality. The facility is floored by animal waste and blood with no exact collection point.
Mr. Joseph Okello, a resident of Walukuba , condemned the facility saying the unhygienic condition in which the animal are being slaughtered worries beef consumers. ” If you visit the abattoir, you don’t feel like eating or buying meat in this town again. The slaughtering , skinning and separation of the animal parts is unhygienic,” Mr. Okello said. A worker at the abattoir said they are conducting business from a dirty environment, citing lack of water, protective gear and a blocked drainage systems as their biggest challenges.
“During the recent Idd Festivities, The Turkish , who had more than 400 heads of cattle that were meant to be slaughtered and given out to the Muslim community , expressed concern over the state of the facility,” the worker said. The Chairperson of the cattle traders in Jinja, Mr Chrysostom Kagolo, said he could not talk about the state of the abattoir because it was the municipal council to address them since it took over the tender to managing the facility.
“The issue of the abattoir is not our responsibility as traders , however , there is a general shortage of animals. The population has increased and many people are now consuming beef, said Mr Kagolo.
He added that subsistence farming other than commercial farming , has hiked prices of animals which range between Shs 1.4m and Shs. 2m. Transporting a cow from Karamoja to Jinja he says now costs Shs. 100,000. In jinja, one Kg of meat is sold at Shs. 11,000 and Shs. 12,000 while is costs Shs. 12,000 in Njeru Municipality.
The Jinja municipality public relations officer ,Mr. Rajab Kitto confirmed that the abattoir is in a sorry state . “We are looking at making a total overhaul and reconstructing a modern abattoir . We are aware that it does not match the standards of a modern facility,”Mr. Kitto said. He said that about Shs. 40B is expected from the second phase of Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development project for Jinja Municipal, part of which they will be allocated for other construction works including the abattoir.
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