Meat prices in several cities and towns in Uganda have skyrocketed, leaving many consumers feeling the pinch.
In the cities of Lira and Jinja, a kilogram of beef now costs between Shs18,000 and Shs 20,000, up from Shs 16,000-Shs 17,000 previously.
In Lira, goat meat is being sold at Shs 20,000 up from Shs 16,000 and beef is going for Shs 18,000 up from Shs 14,000. In Jinja, goat meat is even pricier, retailing at between Shs 22,000 and Shs 25,000 per kilogram.
Traders are pointing fingers at escalating transport costs, livestock quarantines, and stiff competition from regional buyers.
Mr Moses Mukajjanga, chairperson of Mafubira Slaughter House, blames rising fuel prices for the increased cost of transporting animals to slaughter facilities.
‘The cost of transporting animals has gone up because of the increase in fuel prices, and this has directly affected the price of meat,” he says.
“Some areas are under quarantine because many animals are sick. This has reduced the number of animals reaching the market and pushed prices higher.”
The shortage of livestock is also driving prices up. Mr Ronald Mutabi Byarugaba, general secretary of the Jinja City Abattoir, notes that slaughter numbers have decreased, with butchers now slaughtering only about eight cows and 20 goats daily, down from 14 cows and 26 goats previously.
According to Mr Mukajjanga, many traders are now sourcing animals from the Teso Sub-region, particularly Soroti District, to meet demand in Jinja and neighbouring areas.
Mr Abdallah Bogere, a meat dealer at Nile Market in Njeru Municipality in Buikwe District, says: “One of the major factors behind the price increase is fuel. We source most of our animals from the Teso sub-region, which is quite far, making transport costs very high.”
He notes that diesel prices, currently averaging about Shs6,500 per litre, have significantly increased the cost of moving livestock from cattle-producing areas to slaughterhouses and markets.
Mr Bogere also points to growing competition from buyers from Kenya and South Sudan, who are willing to pay higher prices for livestock, thereby driving up costs for local traders.
“The demand from Kenyan and South Sudanese buyers has intensified competition for animals. This pushes livestock prices up even before they reach our markets,” he said.
According to Mr Bogere, traders selling beef at around Shs 18,000 per kilogramme are likely sourcing animals from nearby areas, enabling them to keep transport costs relatively low.
Mr Musa Yuma, a butcher operating in Adjumani Town, says meat prices have remained stable for now, but consumers should expect an increase in the coming weeks due to a shortage of cattle and rising transportation costs.
According to Yuma, a kilo of beef currently sells at Shs 16, 000. However, he notes that the limited supply of cattle in the area, coupled with the high cost of fuel, is making it increasingly difficult for butchers to maintain current prices.
“At the moment, a kilo of meat costs Shs 16, 000. In the past, livestock traders would bring cows to us and we would simply buy them. These days, I have to travel into the villages myself in search of cattle,’ he says.
‘Sometimes I spend an entire day looking for a cow without success, yet the following day I must buy fuel again for my motorcycle and continue the search.”
He says the situation has been worsened by the absence of an established livestock market in the Madi Sub-region, forcing butchers to move from one area to another in search of animals for slaughter.
In Arua City, locals have for several months been buying a kilo of meat at Shs 20,000. Ms Fortunate Candiru, a resident, says: ‘It is now over five months that meat is now at Shs 20,000. I have reduced meat consumption because with the seven people I have, one kilo is not enough.’
She notes that there has been an unexplained reason for the increment.
‘In West Nile, we do not have commercial pastoralists. Many people keep cattle for their own consumption, especially for cultural or funerals. So, I usually see cattle being transported from Lira or from Western Uganda.’
Mr Muhammad Alio, who works at a butcher, says: ‘Prices of cattle and transport costs are high. So, this has made many people increase their prices from Shs 16,000 to Shs 20,000. Even then, sometimes, you may make losses because few people are now buying meat.’
‘What is helping us is now the fridges because there is now a reliable power supply. But some people do not like to buy meat stored in fridges, they want fresh meat because they are used to it,’ he adds.
Mr Sulaiman Ssempijja, a butcher on Idi Amin road in Arua City, says animals have become so expensive from where they buy them from.
“A bull we used to sell at Shs 800,000 in Lango, Nakasongola and Western Uganda, now it goes for Shs 1 million and above. Additionally, transporters are also charging us highly under the pretext that fuel prices are up. So, what do you expect us to do?” he charges.
In Yumbe, Dr Neckyon Mukasa Matinda, the Yumbe District veterinary officer, says the prices of meat have gone up due to the reduction of supply of animals.
He says the current price of meat in Yumbe is Shs 18,000 for beef and Shs 20,000 for goat meat.
‘We were getting animals from the Balalo at a fair price. Since they were chased, this created the scarcity of animals for sale. The cost of production of animals has gone very high in terms of labour, veterinary services and some inputs of production for animals has also gone very high,’ Dr Mukasa explains.
He adds that the region depends on places like Nakasongola for supply of animals and people from DR Congo come to buy animals from Yumbe. As a result, people have basically hiked the prices of animals.
‘The hiking of the animals’ prices and their products to me is a very good thing for farmers. People must begin to go and look after animals so that they also sell them at a good price,’ he says.
In Mbale, residents are expressing concern over the continued rise in meat prices, saying the increasing costs are making it difficult for many families to afford a balanced diet.
In the markets and several butcheries across the city, a kilogram of beef now costs between Shs18, 000 and Shs20, 000 depending on the location and quality of the meat.
Goat meat also costs now at Shs20, 000 per kilogram while liver is being sold at the same price.
Many consumers say they have been forced to reduce the amount of meat they buy or switch to cheaper alternatives due to the high prices.
“I have taken time without buying meat because the price is high,” Mr Asuman Gidudu, a resident of Mbale City said.
Butchers attribute the price increase to the rising cost of livestock, transportation expenses and reduced supply of animals on the market.
In Gulu City, the situation is different. Meat prices have largely remained the same except for pork due to the scarcity of pigs.
A kilogram of goat meat has stagnated at between Shs17,000 and Shs18,000, while beef is sold at Shs16,000 per kilogram across most parts of the city.
In Mpigi, consumers across several trading centres are grappling with rising meat prices, with a kilogram now selling at more than Shs20,000.
A survey conducted in Kayabwe Town Council, Bujuuko and Kammengo trading centres found that butchers have adjusted prices upwards in recent months, citing increased operational costs.
Sheikh Jumah Magatto, a resident of Jjandira Cell, Kayabwe Ward in Kayabwe Town Council, attributes the high beef prices to the increasing cost of fuel.
“The biggest challenge is fuel. Transporting animals from farms to slaughter points and later to markets has become very expensive. These costs are eventually passed on to the final consumers,” he says.
Richard Mugoya, a butcher in Nama Sub-county, Mukono District, says the increase in meat prices is largely driven by high transport costs.
‘I sell meat at Shs 20,000 per kilo because transporting it is expensive. With fuel prices continuing to rise, I may be forced to increase the price further,’ Mugoya explained.
Another butcher in Mukono Town, Junior Mugenyi, says meat prices depend on the cost at which they purchase it from abattoirs.
‘The prices we charge are determined by how much we buy the meat. When we go to the abattoir, the price they sell to us affects how we sell to our clients,’ he says.
In Kabale, the situation is the same. Here a kilo of goat meat and mutton has increased from Shs13,000 to Shs20,000.
The chairman of Meat and Cattle Traders Association at Kabale Main Abattoir, Mr Jackson Nasiima, says there is a ban of cattle movement from the neighbouring district of Ntungamo, which has been their main source of supply of cattle.
In Ankole Sub-region, meat prices remain at Shs 18,000 (cows meat) and Shs 20, 000 (goat) in most districts such as Ibanda, Ntungamo, Isingiro, Mbarara, Bushenyi and Kiruhura save for Mbarara City where beef has increased from Shs 18,000 to Shs 20000 and goat meat from Shs 20,000 to Shs 22,000.
Mr Musa Asiimwe who owns a butcher at Mbarara Central says: “Because of the increase in fuel prices transporting animals has become expensive. This is the reason we have increased the prices of meat.”