By Norbert Mao
Livestock farmers in Kitgum District have received a major boost following renewed efforts to control animal diseases, after the Jimmy Akena Foundation renovated and officially commissioned a long-abandoned cattle dip in the area.
A cattle dip is a, usually, permanent, sloped concrete structure filled with water and acaricide pesticides to fully submerge livestock, killing external parasites like ticks, lice, and mites.
The renovated facility, located in Kel-Polo Village, Pobech Parish, Mucwini East Sub-county, had remained non-functional for more than four decades and its restoration is expected to play a critical role in improving livestock health and boosting farmers’ productivity.
Jimmy Akena, President of the Uganda People’s Congress and founder of the Jimmy Akena Foundation said the intervention aims to reduce the prevalence of tick-borne diseases, which continue to cause heavy losses among farmers.
Akena said the restoring of the cattle dip will help farmers control ticks and other livestock diseases that have been causing significant losses stating that healthy animals mean better incomes and improved livelihoods for households.
The cattle dip was originally established during the administration of former President of Uganda, the late Milton Obote but stopped operating following political instability after 1972 and efforts to revive livestock infrastructure were further disrupted by the Lord’s Resistance Army, LRA insurgency in the early 2000s.
Akena added that the Kel-Polo project is part of a broader plan to rehabilitate up to about 80 cattle dips across regions benefiting from livestock compensation programmes, particularly in Acholi, Lango, and Teso.
The Local Council, LC3 Chairperson of Mucwini East Sub-county, Odong Richard Herbert welcomed the initiative, describing it as timely and essential for improving animal health services and noted that Kitgum previously had three cattle dips, all of which had ceased functioning until the recent renovation.
Local authorities added that while the Jimmy Akena Foundation has provided initial financial support and renovation, the district local government will take over management and long-term maintenance to ensure sustainability.
Ticks are highly prevalent across Uganda, with infestation rates in cattle exceeding 90% in some regions, resulting in severe economic losses exceeding USD 1.1 billion annually. The most common species is the brown ear tick which transmits East Coast fever, the most significant tick-borne disease in the country.
