Kasese markets which have always thrived on cattle mainly imported from neighbouring districts, will have to close shop if the recently announced foot and mouth disease outbreak continues to bite.

The district is also a transit point for trucks full of thousands of cattle for markets in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo markets, especially North Kivu.

Following the outbreak, the district authorities have banned the trade and transportation of animals into or through the district.

Dr Yusuf Kibaya, the Kasese district veterinary officer, announced an immediate total ban on the transactions.

He said the cows, mostly ferried from the districts of Ntungamo, Kazo, Kiruhura and Rakai, are now restricted from entering or passing through Kasese following the outbreak of the disease.

According to Kibaya, the cattle mainly transit through the Kikorongo junction checkpoint in Queen Elizabeth National Park.

“We have alerted the operatives at the junction to prevent all cows from the neighbouring districts from crossing to Kasese for the safety of our people’s lives,” Dr Kibaya said on Saturday, January 27.

Cattle markets include those at Uganda-DRC border points of Mpondwe and also the abattoir in Kasese Municipality.

Other measures put in place by the district include farmers being directed to report any animal showing signs of foot and mouth disease, disinfesting all farm visitors and limiting the number of visitors.

However, with the current quarantine measures, some farmers and butcher operators have raised concerns about the impact on their businesses.

Kasese is a huge consumer of beef and fish which many families can hardly skip for a week.

Their appetite for meat or fish is mainly sharpened by the consumption of a mouth-watering local staple dish known in Lukonzo as obundu or kalo or kwon kal in other Ugandan dialects.

The dish is made out of cassava flour and sometimes millet or sorghum flour mixed and thickened in boiling water to produce a soft bread-like meal.