Distribution of cattle in Uganda 

The 2021 National Livestock Census shows the total number of cattle in the country has increased to14.5 million, up from 11.4 million registered in the 2008 census. 

The Uganda Bureau of Statistics (Ubos) that released the data yesterday said the rise represents a 26.9 percent jump in the numbers. Ubos also said the concurrent rearing of both indigenous and exotic or crossbreed cattle has contributed to the increase. 
Ubos also said more households were keeping livestock for both consumption and commercial purposes. 

Ms Aliziki Kauda Lubega, the director macroeconomic statistics at Ubos, who presented findings of the 2021 livestock census at the Imperial Royal Hotel in Kampala, said the indigenous cattle constituted 77 percent while exotic or crossbreed represented 23 percent. 
“The National Livestock Census 2021 revealed that there were 6.8 households that were keeping at least one livestock type. This is estimated to be about 72.8 percent of the 9.3 million projected households in 2021,” she said.

Sub-regional distribution
Data for the sub-regions indicated that Karamoja, with 2.4 million cattle, which is 16.7 percent, had the highest number of cattle. Ankole followed with 1.8 million, representing 12.4 percent, and Buganda North, with 1.6 million (11.0 percent). 
The least number of cattle were reported in Kigezi with 305,000 cattle, which are 2.1 percent, and Bukedi with 469,000 cattle, representing 3.2 percent. 

In terms of breeds, Ms Lubega said Ankole sub-region had the highest population of exotic or crossbred cattle with 1.1 million, contributing 32.6 percent of the total exotic or cross breed cattle population in Uganda in 2021.
“This was followed by Buganda North with 741,000, representing 22.3 percent, and Buganda South with 633,000, which is 19.0 percent. The Sub-region with the least population of exotic or crossbred cattle were Bukedi, Teso, Acholi, Karamoja, Lango and West Nile, with each contributing less than 0.5 percent of the total exotic or crossbred cattle population in the country in 2021,” she said. 

Ms Lbega said in the National Livestock Census 2021, the number of goats in the country increased to 17.4 million; an increase of 39.4 percent , up from 12.4 million that were listed in the 2008 National Livestock Census. 
Indigenous goats constituted 97.2 percent of the total population, with exotic/crossbreed constituting 2.8 percent. 
Ms Lbega said the number of sheep swelled to 4.4 million in 2021, an increase of 27.8 percent from the 3.4 million sheep reported in the 2008 National Livestock Census. 
About pigs, Ms Lubega said the National Livestock Census 2021 showed there were 7.1 million, an increase of 122.5 percent , up from the 3.2 million counted in the 2008 census. 

Speaking about chicken, she said there are 57.8 million, an increase of 57.8 percent from the 37.4 million total chicken in 2008. 
The rabbit population, she said, has increased to 2.2 million, which is a fivefold upturn in the rabbit numbers from 373,200 in the 2008 census. 
The numbers of pack animals, the donkeys, stood at 63,000 in 2021, which was a decrease of 56.3 percent from 144,000 donkeys reported in 2008. 
The sub-regional analysis shows that Karamoja had the highest number of donkeys, with 46,000 and camels with about 10,000. 

 The National Livestock Census 2021 also revealed that access to extension services was 56.5 percent for the livestock–keeping households. 
Ms Constance Nakiyemba, the senior livestock statistician at Ubos, said: “Access to extension services was highest in cattle-keeping house households; estimated at 72.2 percent, followed by pig-keeping households with 64.6 percent while least was among households that practice apiculture at 26.6 percent.”