Cattle Quarantine Pushes Nyamunuka Meat Dealers Into Financial Distress

Meat traders and slaughter operators in Nyamunuka Town Council say a month-long Foot-and-Mouth Disease quarantine has crippled livelihoods, stalled business activity, and left many families struggling to raise school fees and daily necessities.

Meat dealers and slaughter operators in Nyamunuka Town Council, Ntungamo District, are grappling with mounting financial losses following a month-long quarantine imposed over an outbreak of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD).

The quarantine, which remains in force until May 27, 2026, halted the movement and trade of animals and animal products, effectively paralysing one of the district’s busiest meat business hubs.

The restrictions have left many families without income at a time when parents are struggling to raise school fees and meet basic household needs as learners return for the second school term.

Across Nyamunuka trading centre, the effects of the quarantine are visible. Butcher stalls remain closed, slaughter points are silent, and traders spend long hours idling outside their premises waiting for the restrictions to be lifted.

Wooden meat display tables, hanging rails, hooks, chopping stumps, weighing scales, and other slaughter equipment now sit unused in what was once a busy commercial centre.

Basheiru Mugyenyi said the quarantine had brought business activity in the area to a standstill.

“We are pained by this quarantine but there’s nothing we can do. We have now returned home to our village. The meat business in Nyamunuka has put everything at a standstill, including affecting those with shops and boda bodas,” he said.

Several meat dealers said the situation has been worsened by enforcement of the town council’s trade order, which evicted roadside meat vendors and directed them to either relocate to Kahengye or operate from enclosed and approved butcheries.

Kasheiza Farooq said traders who previously operated openly along the roadside were ordered to move into approved structures.

“We used to display our meat on the roadside here outside, but with the trade order, we were told that we will be sent back inside,” Farooq said.

Traders say they are now being required to construct standard butcher structures and tile floors while incurring millions of shillings in costs at a time when business operations remain suspended.

Mukasa Yazidi described the situation as increasingly difficult for families that depended entirely on the meat business.

“Our survival is difficult. At times we survive only on water. We request that only the affected areas be put under lockdown and for us to be set free to raise food and school fees,” Yazidi said.

Nyamunuka has for years been recognised as one of the major meat-selling centres in Ntungamo District, with traders previously slaughtering more than ten cows daily.

With the quarantine still in force, residents across the district have increasingly resorted to alternative food sources after district authorities suspended trade in animals and animal products while rolling out a mass vaccination campaign.

Yake Basulila said authorities had registered progress in controlling the disease through vaccination and enforcement measures.

“When we are done in May, we can continue with booster vaccination every six months. At least now there is some improvement. After the multi-sector approach and enforcement, there is some response from people who were illegally moving animals, and response to vaccination has also improved,” Dr. Basulila said.

Although some butchers argue that Nyamunuka in Kajara County has not recorded severe FMD cases and are appealing for restrictions to be eased, local leaders have urged residents to remain patient as containment efforts continue.

Yasin Katafa said authorities were hopeful the quarantine would soon be lifted.

“At least there is some improvement and by the 27th, we will be okay. We are praying for that because it’s where our people get income,” Katafa said.