Summary:
- Muwanga further expressed concerns about the high costs and the capacity of Sembuguya Estates, the company contracted to deliver the goats.
KAMPALA: Parliament has raised concerns about the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries (MAAIF) over the expenditure of Shs7.4 million on each exotic goat and Shs400,000 on each local goat, despite 409 out of the 850 distributed goats dying within the first week of distribution to farmers.
This revelation was made by Muwanga Kivumbi, Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee, while presenting the committee’s report based on the Auditor General’s findings. Members of Parliament criticized the exorbitant costs charged for the goats, especially given their poor health.
“On average, each exotic goat cost Shs7.4 million, and each local goat Shs400,000. This was excessively expensive. The Ministry of Agriculture should have conducted proper due diligence to assess the adaptability of the animals in the areas where they were to be distributed. The epidemiological investigations, which were carried out after the goats became infected, were done too late,” Muwanga stated.
He added, “The Auditor noted a very high mortality rate among the goats distributed under this project. For example, in Nakasongola district, all 150 goats distributed, worth Shs52.5 million, died. In Gomba district, out of 700 goats distributed, worth Shs245 million, 259 goats representing 37% and valued at Shs90.7 million died. Overall, 409 out of the 850 goats distributed in Gomba and Nakasongola, representing 45% and worth Shs143 million, had died by the time of the audit in September 2023.”
Muwanga further expressed concerns about the high costs and the capacity of Sembuguya Estates, the company contracted to deliver the goats. “The average price per goat was grossly exaggerated, in the committee’s opinion. The committee also questions the capability of Sembuguya Estates, given its poor performance in managing similar projects in the past. The company should be blacklisted for causing financial loss. Parliament should grant at least two months for the committee to specifically investigate the Goat Project under the Ministry of Agriculture.”
In response, the Ministry of Agriculture informed the committee that it had suspended the project’s activities and carried out epidemiological investigations. The ministry established that the goats were dying from Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR), a highly infectious viral disease affecting goats and sheep. This issue was later resolved through vaccination drives.
The goat distribution project followed a Memorandum of Understanding signed with Sembeguya Estates Uganda Ltd (SEUL) on April 21, 2021, to implement the Goat Roll-Out Project (GRP). The five-year project, valued at Shs15 billion, aimed to support seven district local governments, including Gomba, Kyankwanzi, Nakaseke, Nakasongola, Mubende, Wakiso, and Sembabule.
