By John B. Thawite
Despite bordering with the D.R Congo (DRC) Kasese hardly contributes to or benefits from the billions of shillings worth of eggs that are exported weekly to the vast Congo market through the area.
According to the ICT state minister for national guidance, Godfrey Kabbyanga Baluku, more than 100,000 trays of eggs are exported weekly to the DRC through Mpondwe, the Uganda/DRC border post.
A tray of eggs is currently around sh15,000, implying that the district could bag about sh 1.5b weekly from exporting only eggs to the DRC market .
Kabbyanga challenged the residents to exploit this huge market opportunity as one way of uplifting their household incomes.
Kabbyanga was on Sunday addressing Christians shortly after a Holy Mass led by the Kasese Catholic Diocesan Bishop, Rt. Rev. Francis Aquirinus Kibira at St. Michael Divine Mass Kabuyiri in Mpondwe-Lhubiriha Town Council near the Uganda/DRC border.
Kabyanga asked the Catholic Church to start projects intended to trap the money to improve the livelihood of believers in Christ.
He said as he pushes the elevation of town council to a Municipality status, Bishop Kibira should sensitise community in the diocese to start projects like poultry that would enable them raise eggs to export to DR-Congo.
Kabbyanga warned them against wasting time on growing coffee in the border area which he said no longer had enough land.
“I urge you Bishop to mobilise the Christians to start rearing chicken to start trapping this golden opportunity,” Kabbyanga stressed.
Lauding minister Kabbyanga for his “developmental vision,” Bishop Kibira expressed concern that most products exported into the DRC via Mpondwe customs border are from other districts in Uganda.
”I have been told that most of the eggs you have mentioned come from other districts such as Masaka. No wonder that we here are poor” noted the prelate.
“How can eggs fly over Kasese? And the people who are getting that money are from Masaka. What a pity,” he further lamented.
“You have indeed challenged us,” he told Kabbyanga and urged every family to invest in poultry and produce “at least three crates of eggs weekly.”
Bishop Kibira pledged that that the Catholic diocese will establish a parish development committee meant to design modalities of improving household incomes and nutrition among Christians.
Some health benefits of eggs
Provide excellent quality protein
Improve Levels of “good” cholesterol
Great source of vitamin D
Help with weight management.
Among the best dietary sources of choline
Culinary uses of eggs
In cooking and baking, eggs help in binding, thickening, coating, serving as a leavening agent and emulsifying
10 Alternative uses for eggs
§ Face masking: whisk egg whites with a little bit of water to create a skin-firming face mask.
§ Glue: As egg whites dry, they become increasingly sticky
§ Leather cleaner
§ Biscuit decoration
§ Hair conditioner
§ Fertilizer
§ Seed holders
§ Pest repellent
