NEMA closes Kololo cattle farm over pollution

The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has said it closed a private cattle farm in uptown Kololo, following neighbours' complaints about a pungent smell from piles of animal wastes and noise pollution in Kampala.
NEMA insists that the zero-grazing farm, which started in 2019 in Kololo, just three kilometers away from Kampala City Square, initially had 10 Friesian cows and operated without approval from relevant authorities.
“This act is contrary to the National Environment (Air Quality Standards) Regulations, 2024 and the National Physical Planning Standards and Guidelines of 2011. The farmer was guided by the authority and in February 2024, transferred six (6) cows to the farm in Iganga District,” NEMA said in a statement.
However, NEMA said, the "complaints did not cease," which led to an inspection of the project site involving the Environment Protection Force (EPF).
“The inspection established that the farm had poor waste management at a site which is contrary to the National Environment (Waste Management) Regulations, 2020,” the Authority revealed.
NEMA also said there was “noise pollution from cattle (85 decibels -dB) which is above the permissible limit of 55 Db for a mixed residential area contrary to the National Environment (Noise Standards and Control) Regulations, 2003.”
Further in the statement, the Authority said they found “air pollution evidenced by a pungent smell associated with ammonia and other methane emissions from dung piles”.
This, they said is contrary to the provisions stipulated under the National Environment (Air Quality Standards) Regulations, 2024.
“As such the farm was immediately closed and the farmer required to strictly transfer all the remaining four (4) cows to the farm in Iganga and to clean, and adequately manage all the gross pollution caused by the cattle at the facility in accordance with Section 78 of the National Environment Act Cap 181,” the statement reads further.
The move by NEMA comes amid similar concerns by Kampala Metropolitan dwellers, who have accused the Authority of taking long to address related complaints.  
According to government data, Uganda has over 14.5 million cattle with most of these in farms in remote parts of the country.