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Some of the cows prepared to be slaughtered on Idd ul Adhuha in Buikwe District on June 13, 2024. PHOTO/DENIS EDEMA
What you need to know:
- Many people are booking animals for Idd early which affects supply in major cattle markets across the country.
More than 15,000 animals are to be slaughtered across the country as part of celebrations to mark the annual Idd-ul-Adhuha on June 16.
Muslims around the world will this Sunday celebrate Idd-ul-Adhuha, which is a feast of sacrifice in commemoration of Prophet Ibrahim’ s willingness to obey God’s command to sacrifice his only son Ismail and the latter’s consent to be sacrificed. However , he was later commanded to spare the boy and kill a sheep .
As the D-day draws closer, the demand for animals for slaughter has increased, causing a hike in prices of beef in urban centres.
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Currently, a kilogramme of beef is sold at between Shs17,000 and Shs 18,000 up from Shs14,000 a week ago.
The price of animals such as goats and sheep has also gone up . For example Kisenyi ,a city suburb , a goat costs Shs350,000 up from Shs300,000 last year .
“Many people are booking animals for Idd early which affects supply in major cattle markets across the country. So ,it is obvious that when there is an increase in demand ,the price has to go up,” Mr Musa Katumba, who works at a slaughterhouse at Kyengera Abattoir said on June 13.
Dr Idd Menya , the director of Social Humanitarian Aid Delivery –Uganda ,said his organisation alone will slaughter 1,200 cattle compared to 3,455 in 2023 and 2,000 sheep.
Unlike last year, Dr Menya, said the number of animals to be slaughtered have dropped due to the cattle quarantine government imposed in various districts.
“We have bought the animals expensively which explains the reduced number [of animals bought]. Some districts where we could get relatively cheaper animals are currently under quarantine,” he said
He said the beef will be distributed to the needy people at mosques, orphanage centres, prisons, hospitals, police stations and refugee camps in the districts of Jinja Mbale, Kotido, Tororo, Butaleja and Mbarara.
Mr Issa Katungulu, the coordinator of three humanitarian agencies -African Friendship Association, Sena Foundation and Diyant Foundation, said they are going to slaughter more than 15,000 animals in different regions of the country.“ The meat will go to the needy people –both Muslims and non-Muslims and that is why Islam encourages those who are financially stable to slaughter animals and donate meat to their neighbours who cannot afford,” he emphasised.
Mr Issa Kirarira, the executive Director of Nile Humanitarian Development Agency, said the price of cattle has been hiked by 25 percent and they have been able to purchase close to 160 cows.
“A cow we used to buy at shs1.5m is now at Shs2million and the one of shs1m is currently purchased at shs1.5 million. This has affected our planning , but we shall donate to those we can,” he said.
Meanwhile ,Sheikh Haidar Kizza, the vice chairperson of Humanitarian Efforts And Relief (Hear –Uganda), said his organisation will not slaughter animals this year as their donors chose to divert funding to Gaza where thousands of people are in dire need of relief aid. The war in Gaza has raged on since October 7 , 2023 when the Palestinian Hamas fighters attacked Israel killing at least 1,200 and abducting over one hundred Jews. Israel’s retaliation by attacking Gaza has seen over 30,000 people killed, 70 percent of them are women and children.
“We shall resume our task [to give out free beef ] next year when the aid flow from the donors is good,” he said.
Idd ul-Adhuha is the grand feast Muslims celebrate to mark the end of the year according to the lunar Islamic calendar. It is different from Idd-ul-Fitr, which was celebrated on April 10 at the end of the holy month of Ramadhan. Unlike Idd ul-Fitr , the Sunday Idd prayer is performed early in the day to enable those with intention to slaughter animals to have meat for lunch and traditionally lasts for four days –meaning the festivities will continue up to June 19. The faithful are supposed to leave home without a meal until after the completion of the prayers.