In a costly contradiction that has long plagued Uganda’s livestock sector, thousands of animals have succumbed to preventable diseases even as large volumes of vaccines go to waste due to poor storage infrastructure. That may soon change.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries commenced the construction of a modern cold chain storage facility for animal vaccines at the National Animal Disease Diagnostics and Epidemiology Centre (NADDEC) in Entebbe. The facility, the first of its kind in the country, is expected to transform vaccine management and animal disease control nationwide.
“We are tired of procuring vaccines that go to waste because the country has nowhere to store them,” said Lt. Col (Rtd.) Bright Rwamirama, Minister of State for Animal Industry, during the groundbreaking ceremony.
The UGX 2.5 billion facility will be able to store up to 80 million vaccine doses. According to the minister, this development is key to safeguarding Uganda’s vast livestock population, estimated at 14.5 million cattle, 17.4 million goats, 4.4 million sheep, 7.1 million pigs, and over 57.8 million poultry.
“I don’t want to hear about FMD (foot and mouth disease) outbreaks after this facility is completed. If it happens, the Commissioner for Animal Health and the team must make a statement. We have been crying every day that we don’t have money. We have now been given money; what else are we going to tell the public?” Rwamirama asked pointedly.
Permanent Secretary Maj. Gen. David Kasura-Kyomukama praised the ministry’s leadership for championing the proposal through Cabinet and Parliament.
“Their efforts resulted in what we are about to see,” he said, emphasizing the unsustainable costs of importing vaccines only to destroy them due to inadequate storage.
Stressing the urgency of the project, the Permanent Secretary instructed Eng. Boniface Okanya, Commissioner for Agricultural Infrastructure, Mechanisation and Water for Agricultural Production, to ensure timely completion.
“You should work day and night to ensure that it is completed within the specified time. If you don’t, I will have uncomfortable discussions with you,” he warned.
Eng. Okanya responded with confidence, assuring both the Minister and the Permanent Secretary that his team would deliver the project on schedule, citing the ministry’s growing internal engineering capacity.
