Piggery farmers on Bwondha beach on the shores of Lake Victoria in Mayuge district have resorted to feeding their stock on human excreta. Most of the residents of Bwondha beach defecate in the open saying they cannot afford paying 100 shillings to use the only latrine put up by government.
The cheap pig farming environment at the beach has in the recent past led to a rapid increase in the number of pigs at the beach.
The human excreta scattered all over the place now acts as the main source of livelihood for the thousands of pigs on the beach. Piggery farmers are no longer bothered to buy feeds for their pig stock.
Rashid Naku, the Bwondha beach LC I chairperson says the pig population is twice more than the 4000 residents. Naku says life is very difficult because the stray pigs devour anything they come across adding that, they are worried that they may start eating children.
Yokana Waiswa, the head of the family of 20 says almost all adults on the beach wait until in the night to defecate in the open for the pigs to eat because they can’t afford to pay for the toilet.
He says the children can’t wait so they do it in broad day light. Waiswa explains that he has 16 children and four wives saying this would cost him over shillings 10,000 daily if he allows his family to use the government latrine, which he can’t afford.
A piggery farmer who declined to be named says his pigs depend solely on human excreta and some leftovers he picks from garbage pits from resident’s homes. He however, asked our reporter to drop the story saying this would kill for them market. According to this farmer, most of their pigs are sold to butchers in Kampala and Jinja town.
He says the butchers buy and slaughter the animals before transporting them to their destination. A kilogram of pork goes for 5000 shillings on the farm. Dr Ouma Mukoche, the Mayuge District Veterinary Officer said he was not aware this was happening in the district. He condemned the act as a bad farming practice traditionally and hygienically.
Mukoche warns that those who eat pork from such pigs are at risk of being attacked by tapeworms and if not treated may end up with damaged livers and death. Richard Gidudu, the Mayuge District Health Officer had no kind words for those involved in feeding pigs on human excreta saying it can lead to an outbreak of various diseases.
He says apart from being unpleasant human excreta can be a source of many diseases.