MPs order closure of Mbarara abattoir over poor sanitation

Parliament’s Committee on Health has ordered the closure of Mbarara City Abattoir, saying its continued operation poses a serious health risk to the community.
The Committee led by the Kole North MP, Dr Samuel Acuti Opio, which is currently assessing the state of abattoirs in the country, on Tuesday said Mbarara City Abattoir in Kenkombe in Kakoba Ward, Mbarara City South Division, lacks all safety and health standard parameters for handling meat that is safe for human consumption.

“The sanitation of this place is wanting, flies are all over, no toilet facilities, the area is bushy and littered with garbage. The roofs are leaking, and the walls are peeling off.  We cannot allow this and we have directed the city authorities to close this abattoir,” Dr Opio said.
He said the facility lacks enough personnel, its infrastructure is in a sorry state and the hygiene conditions are wanting.

“Abattoirs should have areas where animals are received, samples of their blood, and faeces collected and taken to the lab for analysis before they can proceed to be slaughtered after confirming that they are healthy. However, these laboratory tests are not done, what is done right now is the physical examination, which may fail to detect certain kinds of conditions or zoonotic diseases that can affect human beings,” Mr Opio said.

He noted that the abattoir lacks an isolation area where sick animals can be kept.
Dr Nicholas Kamara, the Kabale Municipality MP, also a member of the committee, said it is unfortunate that such sensitive facilities are not given priority.

The Mbarara District Woman MP, Ms Margret Rwebyambu, also a member of the committee, said it is unfortunate that private abattoirs are offering better facilities than the government ones.
“This abattoir is owned by Mbarara City and the government but its state is worse compared to a private abattoir we have visited. How do you entrust the lives of your people in private hands? In an abattoir like this one, we are promoting disease outbreaks instead of protecting our people. How do you say you examine sick animals by just mere naked eyes?” she wondered.

Dr Moses Amanyire, the Mbarara City production officer, said government is to blame for the state of abattoirs.
“True, our abattoirs don’t meet all the required standards but the government is partly to blame, for example, for not establishing laboratories at these facilities. We have always reminded the government to facilitate some of these facilities but in vain,” he said.

On the closed abattoir, he said it was constructed more than 30 years ago and since then, it has never had any major renovations because of limited funding.
The Mbarara City Clerk, Mr Assy Abireebe, said they would comply with the MPs directive until they get funds to renovate the abattoir.
“We are going to close this abattoir as directed by the MPs until we get funds to fix it. The challenge has been limited funding,” he said.
Mbarara City now remains with one abattoir, which is privately owned, located in Ruti in Nyamitanga, North Division.