Serere: Kyere health centre III faces pressure to add men’s services

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Kyere Health Centre III, the only public health facility in Kyere Town Council, Serere district, has become the focus of a growing debate after community members and local leaders called for its upgrade to community health centre status so it can offer male-specific services.

For years, the facility has operated with a single ward dedicated to women, concentrating on maternal and child health. However, increasing demand for medical care among men has left the centre unable to meet the needs of a rising male population.

The issue escalated during a campaign rally where Alliance for National Transformation presidential candidate Maj. Gen. (rtd) Mugisha Muntu asked residents to outline their community challenges before addressing them.

“Our health centre lacks very many things. It only has a female ward since it started, and there are only six (6) beds, yet we (men) have been having health issues and they are neglected,” Sam Ochen, the LC I general secretary of Central Ward Cell A, said.

“Sometimes when women go there, they find that there is no medicine at the health centre, and they come empty-handed, asking their husbands to buy it from the private clinics. This is frustrating,” Ochen insisted.

Although the facility attracts a strong community turnout, it still lacks dedicated services for male patients beyond basic consultations.

James Okello, a resident of Kyere town council, said the need for men’s services has become “urgent”.

“We have men queuing for hours only to be told there are no beds or specialised staff,” Okello explained.

“Many of them travel long distances to Serere Health Centre IV, which is already overcrowded. If we elect you next year, that is what we expect you to work on for us,” he added.

Since 2012, Serere district leaders have repeatedly lobbied for Serere Health Centre IV to be elevated to a community hospital, arguing that the district’s population of more than 343,000 far exceeds the intended catchment area of a Health Centre IV. The lack of male wards at Kyere Health Centre III is viewed as part of this wider strain on health services.

Farmers in Ocapa sub-county, Serere district, are also urging the government to establish a fruit processing factory to address the growing surplus of mangoes, oranges, pineapples and passion fruit.

They fear that thousands of tonnes of produce may go to waste this season, posing risks to livelihoods and food security. During a campaign rally, farmers expressed concern about low market prices and poor post-harvest handling.

“Our mangoes are selling at sh500 per kilogram, far below production costs. Without a processing plant, we are forced to sell at a loss or watch fruits rot in the fields,” said Herbert Obua.

Limited access to distant markets such as Kampala and Jinja, combined with poor road conditions, has deepened the problem, Obua added.

Despite the existence of the Soroti Fruit Factory, orange farmers in the Teso sub-region say prices have remained too low.

“The market shortage for our fruits has had a devastating impact on our livelihoods,” said Ben Okojoi, a farmer from Oilotor village in Katakwi district.

“I have been selling my fruits to buyers from Kenya who give us only sh60,000 for every bag of oranges and mangoes. President Museveni should intervene because these factory workers are buying their fruits from Kenya, and they are not buying from us, yet the factory was constructed for the Teso sub-region,” he revealed.

He added that the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries supplied him with more than 200 fruit trees to support the factory, yet it has never purchased from him.

Joel Martin Odeke, a mango farmer, expressed similar concerns.

“I wonder why the factory was constructed. We have mangoes in plenty, but because we lack a market, they have been rotting in our compounds, so we do not know whom the factory was constructed to serve,” he said.

The factory was built to serve multiple districts, including Busia, Butaleja, Pallisa, Budaka, Mbale, Soroti, Katakwi, Serere, Kumi, Kapchorwa and parts of Karamoja, and is located in Arapai Industrial Park in Soroti district.

During the campaign, Muntu pledged to construct a fruit factory in every district to support local produce under the cooperative movement.

“You cannot lift farmers out of poverty without supporting them in what they do most. When ANT is elected in 2026, I pledge to construct a factory per district that processes what is grown most in an area to create more jobs and increase production,” he said.

On health, Muntu promised to introduce a health insurance scheme to raise health standards for low-income Ugandans.