Mukono, Kampala
The Kyetume Abattoir once thrived as a hub of economic activities for the past six decades. However, the conditions of the facility have deteriorated for years.
Nevertheless, it is expected to be restored to its former glory by the renewed efforts of the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Development Programme (GKMA-UDP).
This process is intended to bring back life into this neglected facility as well as boost both the local economy and the community.
Kyetume Trading Centre residents have been requesting the redevelopment of the infamous site for over thirty years.
This abattoir, which used to support many families financially, was left in a state of disrepair creating a huge gap in local industry.
A hopeful turning point for Kyetume, this represents GKMA-UDP’s commitment to turn around this key facility that promises job creation, infrastructure improvement and rejuvenated economic activities.
However, Mukono’s Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Elizabeth Namanda has noted that 4bn shillings have been allocated for the abattoir project under GKMA-UDP.
GKMA-UDP is funded by a $566mn ($2.1tn) loan from the International Development Association (IDA) of World Bank Group.
The slaughterhouse took up 52 acres at Kyetume trading centre near the Uganda Railway Corporation inland container depot when it was set up in the 1960s.
However, over the past decades, the land has been encroached upon, leaving only about 29 acres.
In its period, the abattoir was home to the largest slaughterhouse and cattle market in the central region.
The facility could handle the slaughter of about 20 cows at a time, with hundreds of hooks for the carcasses and well-designed channels that directed blood and wastewater to a lagoon.
The abattoir also featured a well-fenced farm with paddocks and a water pump.
At the height of its operations, the Kyetume Abattoir could slaughter about 200 heads of cattle each day, supplying meat to various groceries, institutions, and markets within the Kampala metropolitan area, as well as in Kayunga, Buikwe, and Jinja districts.
However, its operations were suspended in 2008, and the site has since been abandoned.
With no activity taking place, Kyetume is now a shadow of its former self, and residents are calling for its redevelopment.
Many residents say that the current state of the abattoir has negatively affected their incomes and livelihoods, as trade slowed down gradually following its closure.
In a conversation we had with James Kiyimba Kigula, 78, a resident of Kyetume, recalled that during its peak, thousands of people would flock to the abattoir daily for work and to take advantage of other opportunities, such as selling farm produce.
Baruku Yiga, another resident of the area, says that the abattoir had supported the growth of other sectors like agriculture and industries, which are also struggling following its closure.
Reverend Peter Bakaluba Mukasa, the LC5 Chairperson, adds that, besides employing a significant number of people, the abattoir had helped to decongest Kampala’s city abattoir.
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