City abattoirs pose a health risk - KCCA

By Juliet Waiswa

A filthy pig sty, blood flowing on the slaughter house floor and pig carcasses lying on the floor is what Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) public health team found at Kampala's only pig slaughter house.

The stench welcomes you with flies hovering around you.  

Wambizzi co-operative abattoir in Mutundwe, Lubaga division and other city abattoirs were found lacking the KCCA and Uganda National Bureau Standards basic slaughter house standards. 

At the beef abattoirs in Kalerwe, Kawempe Division, City Traders Abattoir commonly known as Lufuula in the city center were all messy with beef hanging in unhygienic areas, and poorly transported.

The head of health inspection Denis Omodi gave an ultimatum of 21 days to the owners of the houses to improve their hygiene or face closure. This was during the inspection by the team of KCCA, public health officials.

Wambizzi abattoir

Dirty pigs, pork pieces, hooves, poor faecal discharge and dirty floors where the carcasses were placed, shocked KCCA officials as they made an abrupt inspection.

The officials’ inspection of the slaughter houses in Kampala is one of the moves by KCCA to ensure that beef supplied in the city is neither contaminated nor posing a health risk.

Omodi said that some of the city slaughter house owners have failed to meet the minimum required standards adding that they put lives of the city dwellers at a risk.

He cautioned owners of the abattoir over hygiene and ordered them to improve on their hygiene.

The abattoir was found in a sorry state which forced the KCCA officials to issue the owners with a notice of closure in case they fail to comply with the standards.

Omodi revealed to the press that KCCA public health directorate will meet with all cattle transporters, abattoir owners, meat transporters, and butchers on the issue of animal transportation, hygiene at the abattoir and their personal hygiene.

The chairman of Wambizzi, John Mpira claimed that they have been warned by China Communications Construction Company Ltd (CCCC) the company constructing the Entebbe Express Highway not to improve on the abattoir, as the road is likely to be built in the area around the slaughter house.

Other slaughter houses inspected included the Wankulukuku Livestock Marketing Society, (WLMS) in Lubaga, which was found to be relatively clean

The chairman of WLMS Emmanuel Kizza told New Vision that they are still faced with the challenge of collecting and dumping dung as they lack people who collect it.

"We are still facing a challenge of disposing of cow dung and proper discharge, because we lack people who can invest in it," Kizza said.

What are the required standards?

According to KCCA and UNBS all slaughter houses are expected to have standard equipment used during slaughtering; however Omodi said that this is not common practice in abattoirs, all these facts cause meat to be contaminated hence having an impact on human life.

Other standards expected of the slaughter houses are enough water, washable walls, coolers and enough light to see the defects on the meat, proper waste disposal, an incinerator, and a clean washable place for animals to rest for at least 12 hours before they are slaughtered

Omodi also said that the way animals are transported and slaughtered in the city is still wanting; he said that only the City Abattoir in Kampala has the minimum required standards for an abattoir while others are just struggling to meet the standards.

Last week KCCA executive director Jennifer Musisi visited a newly constructed abattoir in Bombo to see how best the city can come up with modern slaughter houses.