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Bright Rwamirama: I don’t want to hear any more FMD outbreaks in Uganda after this facility, if it happens, the commissioner for animal health and team will have to make a statement.
Entebbe, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Minister of State for Animal Industry, Lt. Col (Rtd) Bright Rwamirama has today officiated at the ground breaking ceremony for the construction of a national cold chain facility for animal vaccines at the National Animal Disease Diagnostics and Epidemiology Centre (NADDEC) Laboratories in Entebbe. The construction of a state-of-the-art facility will cost sh2.5billion and have a capacity of storing up to 60 million doses of vaccines.
“For the first time ever, the country is going to have a national cold chain facility that is going to store our vaccinations. We are tired of procuring vaccines but all of it is put to waste because the country has no where to store it,” said Minister Rwamirama at the launch.
Uganda boasts an estimated 14.5million cattle, 17.4million goats, 4.4million sheep, 7.1million pigs, and over 57.8million poultry. By ensuring these animals remain healthy, the ministry will directly enhance the livelihoods of families and solidify our position as a robust agricultural nation.
According to officials, the new storage facility, we will be able to maintain the potency of critical vaccines, especially against Foot-and-Mouth disease (FMD), Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR), LumpDisease & Rabies among others among. This will improve immunity, outbreaks and boost livestock productivity.
The Minister stated confidently that with such a facility, the issue of FMD will be put to an end.
“I don’t want to hear any more FMD outbreaks in Uganda after this facility, if it happens, the commissioner for animal health and team will have to make a statement. Everybody is now looking at us, because we have been crying every day that we don’t have money, they have given us money, what else are we going to tell the public?”
The Permanent Secretary, Maj.Gen. David Kasura-Kyomukama said this initiative came as a result of efforts put in by the Ministry political leadership who defended it in cabinet and in Parliament.
“I thank our political leaders in the Ministry for this effort. Government has given us the money required to construct this facility. Their efforts resulted to what we are about to see,” said Kasura-Kyomukama.
He added that the Ministry can no longer afford to continue importing vaccines and destroy them because of luck of storage facilities. He directed the commissioner for Agricultural Infrastructure, Mechanization and Water for Agricultural Production, Eng. Boniface Okanya to expedite the construction of this facility because it is urgently needed by the Ministry.
“We want this facility very quickly, you should work day and night to ensure that it is finished within the specified time. If you don’t do so, I am going to have uncomfortable discussions with you”.
Eng. Okanya on behalf of the Department Agricultural Infrastructure, Mechanization and Water for Agricultural Production assured the Minister and the Permanent Secretary that his team will do a good job and deliver it on time because the Ministry has been building internal capacity from within its engineers.
“We are going to do a job and deliver the facility on time because we have the best engineers in the Ministry. We are only going to contract supply of materials, the rest of the work will be done by our own engineers from the Ministry”.
Once completed, the facility will have a storage capacity of 80 million doses of vaccines/animal drugs.
