Beef Prices Surge in Kampala as Livestock Shortage Bites

Kampala’s meat traders are grappling with a sharp rise in beef prices, driven by a widespread shortage of livestock across Uganda. The current market situation has seen beef prices rise to between UGX 18,000 and 20,000 per kilogram, up from UGX 15,000 just two weeks ago. Goat meat and mutton have also surged to UGX 15,000, an increase from UGX 12,000.

According to Laurence Karyesubula, Chairman of Kampala City Abattoir, the price hike stems from a combination of increased livestock exports, higher transportation costs, disease outbreaks, and prolonged drought. “Usually, during festival seasons, meat prices don't surge like this. We've been slaughtering cows with prices not exceeding UGX 12,000, sourcing them from Teso, Lango, and Nakasongola. 

However, a severe drought limited supplies from these areas, so we had to rely on scarce cattle from Ankole and Buganda,” said Karyesubula. He noted that this Easter, the abattoir slaughtered fewer than 500 cows, significantly lower than the typical figures for the season. Some traders, he said, have turned to importing cattle from Tanzania, despite the higher costs involved.

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At Nsooba Slaughterhouse in Kalerwe, a similar story is unfolding. Mulongo Kato, a meat trader with over 20 years in the business, told Uganda Radio Network (URN) that many traders are facing losses after borrowing in anticipation of high Easter sales.

“Most of us took loans expecting good sales, as festival seasons are typically lucrative for the meat business. But this time, things are different. There's demand for meat, but no cattle to meet it,” Kato said. He explained that key cattle-supplying districts such as Nakasongola, Hoima, Kiboga, and Kyankwanzi were severely affected by drought, leading to the current shortage.

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Kato warned that the few available animals are not only scarce and expensive, but also poor in quality due to feed and water shortages. He also cited land pressure on livestock farmers as another contributing factor.

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Calling for urgent government intervention, Kato urged authorities to subsidize livestock vaccinations, particularly against foot-and-mouth disease, and to construct dams to help farmers cope during droughts. “It is very expensive to vaccinate animals, and they're facing the same challenge of foot-and-mouth disease, which kills many animals.

Government should also construct dams for water. These are the reasons why animals are few in markets,” he said. Sulaiman Ssekanyo, Chairperson of Nsooba Slaughterhouse, confirmed the reduced supply, noting that they had only managed to slaughter 250 to 300 cows this Easter, far below the usual numbers. 

“We have customers buying in both large and small quantities, but the low supply is driving up meat prices. We hope that by the next festivals, things shall have gone back to normal,” Ssekanyo said.