FORT PORTAL: Three people are in police custody in Fort Portal Tourism City after being found red-handed selling over 40 kilograms of decomposing meat to residents.
The suspects are Bashir Rajab, Clovis Isingoma, and Majid Musisi who were found with meat from three different cows and a goat.
The Fort Portal City Veterinary Officer, Dr. Stanley Businge, who also doubles as the city Production officer, intercepted the suspects on Tuesday 15th November 2022 evening while carrying out his routine inspection exercise.
Dr. Businge told our reporter that he found the suspects selling the rotten meat from wooden boxes in an isolated bushy area behind Mpanga Market. He said that rotten meat is unfit for human consumption and can result in disease-causing infections when consumed.
Dr. Businge says that the suspects will be charged with violating the public health act, meat rules, and regulations, and suspected theft of livestock. He adds the suspects will have to produce evidence of where they bought the meat or slaughtered the animals because towards the Christmas festive season animal theft is rampant.
Dr. Businge revealed that in Fort Portal city cases of animal theft have been on the increase where 101 animals were stolen between July – October this year.
He, however, says that only 61 were reported to the police. The suspects were handed over to Fort Portal central police station as investigations continue.
Vincent Twesige, the Rwenzori West Police Spokesperson, said that he had not yet received information about this case as he was not in the city.
This is not the first time police arresting suspects selling unhealthy meat. In April 2019 Police in Mbarara District arrested a man for supplying dog meat.
The suspect Sadru Mustafa was found slaughtering a dog by residents of Kisenyi cell, Kakoba Division, Mbarara municipality.
He was reportedly working with a group of street kids who kill dogs and supply the meat to various butcheries and restaurants in Mbarara town.
The suspect alleged that he was being paid 30,000 shillings by some butchers in town to supply them with dog meat.
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