Bombo town council abattoir closed over poor hygiene

Luwero, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Luwero district council has approved the closure of Bombo town council abattoir over poor hygiene. Seated in Bombo central zone, the abattoir was constructed in the 1970s and has never had any major renovations.

At least 10 heads of cattle are slaughtered daily from the abattoir and the meat is sold within the town. Section 5 of the Public Health Act, Cap 281 requires every local authority to put in place practical measures to safeguard and promote public health.

However, Christine Nakabugo, the Chairperson of the Luwero District Health Committee said that an inspection conducted at the abattoir found it dilapidated and filthy, something that may put the neighbors at risk of disease outbreak.

Nakabugo said that the abattoir lacked a drainage system to enable the butchers to flush blood and water after slaughtering animals. She said that due to stagnant blood, flies hover around the abattoir, which is covered by a heavy stench.

Nakabugo said that as a result, the health committee recommended to the district council to close the abattoir till it undergoes renovation to save people. “In fact, if you visit the abattoir, you can’t eat or buy meat from there due to its filthy state,” Nakabugo said.

The Luwero District Speaker, Abdul Mazinga said the council passed the recommendation and they expect the district health officer to ensure its implementation. Ramathan Kassim Osman, the LC3 chairperson Bombo town admitted the filthy state of the abattoir but blamed it on the lack of space to construct a drainage for it.

Osman said that the town council has now embarked on looking for alternative land to relocate the abattoir due to the lack of space for expansion at the current site. “In the meantime, we have resolved as a town council to conduct minor renovations like on the floor and paintings as we buy alternative land for the new abattoir,” Osman said.

Another modern abattoir commissioned near Bombo town council in 2015 by President Yoweri Museveni is lying idle. The Uganda-Egypt Food Security Company invested over Shillings 70 billion in constructing a modern abattoir to export beef but it has failed to take off to date.

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