By George Bita
Dairy farmers in Iganga district have expressed concern over the demolition of the only public dairy and its subsequent replacement with a shopping arcade.
The structure that served as a local milk collection centre for farmers was hitherto located along Saza Road in the urban centre.
According to Musa Ssajabi, a farmer from Bugabwe parish, the 10,000 litre milk coolers on location used to help farmers’ cooperatives to store their milk until it could be sold off.
“We just woke up to see the building being demolished recently. It has since been replaced by a multi-storey shopping arcade,” Ssajabi told New Vision on Thursday.
Rose Nabirye, a dairy farmer from Nawandala village recalled how she would dispatch 10 litres of milk daily to the facility through a local cooperative society.
“That is now history as nowadays everyone is on his own. Our public structure was destroyed with promises of a replacement that has not been forthcoming,” Nabirye retorted.
Meanwhile the former milk collection point is now a busy shopping centre with no single trace of a dairy remaining.
Yusuf Kalende, a resident wondered how a municipality can lack a designated dairy from where to pick up fresh milk from.
“This gives unscrupulous traders a chance to sell us sub-standard milk from roadsides. The milk is brought late under cover of darkness so that if you buy it and it is bad there is no way you can trace the seller,” Kalende claimed.
Ayub Ssebide, the Kasokoso LCI chairman observed that the move was in line with development of the urban centre now at municipality status.
“Council recently resolved to encourage construction of high-rise structures especially on the main street. This shopping arcade is in line with that decision as opposed to the archaic dairy store,” Ssebide argued.
Bamu Lulenzi, the Iganga mayor said the decision to demolish the dairy was reached when he had not come to office in 2021.
When contacted, David Balaba, the former mayor, disclosed that a private developer had been tasked with setting up an alternative dairy store for the urban dwellers.
“The arrangement was that in order for council to give him a 49-year lease on the former dairy ground he was to build another store. He actually built another milk store on Kaliro road,” Balaba emphasised.
However, the new structure is being habited by tenants allegedly put there by the private developer.
