The National Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) Focal Person, Dr Ben Ssenkeera, on Tuesday engaged Masaka District leaders as part of the ongoing efforts to strengthen local leadership, farmer mobilisation and community ownership of the national FMD vaccination campaign and Cost-Recovery Scheme.

During the engagement, Dr Ssenkeera said that the Government is implementing the national vaccination programme to protect farmers’ livelihoods, strengthen livestock productivity and safeguard Uganda’s wider economic interests, including access to domestic, regional and international markets for livestock and animal products.

He called upon political, technical and community leaders to actively mobilise farmers to participate in the programme, pay the approved vaccine replacement fee, and present their susceptible livestock for vaccination.

Dr Ssenkeera stressed that prevention remains far more affordable than the economic losses associated with an FMD outbreak, which can disrupt livestock movement and trade, reduce farm productivity and undermine household incomes.

Masaka District Chairperson John Kakande commended the Government for the initiative and urged councillors and other local leaders to take ownership of the campaign and support mobilisation within their respective communities.

“Masaka has already been recognised among the best-performing districts. We want to remain at the top in the fight against FMD, and we can achieve this because we work as a team,” Kakande said.

Masaka Resident District Commissioner Billy Janet Mulindwa applauded MAAIF for its continued support to the district and pledged the district leadership’s full commitment to the programme. She undertook to work closely with the district chairperson and other leaders to secure land for the Ministry to establish a modern vaccine cold-chain facility in Masaka.

The proposed facility would strengthen the safe storage and distribution of FMD and other veterinary vaccines and provide strategic cold-chain support to the Greater Masaka region.