Eronda
JF-Expert Member
- Dec 16, 2025
- 411
- 287
More than 1,200 veterinary professionals and paraprofessionals from over 92 districts across Uganda have petitioned State Minister for Animal Industry Frank Tumwebaze, demanding an immediate review and suspension of the new annual licensing fees introduced by the Uganda Veterinary Council (UVC).
The practitioners argue that the sharp increase—from Shs150,000 to Shs500,000 for veterinary surgeons and from Shs100,000 to Shs340,000 for paraprofessionals—will push many qualified professionals out of practice, make veterinary services unaffordable for smallholder farmers, and threaten key government programmes such as the Parish Development Model (PDM) and Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) control efforts.
“We are not against the Uganda Veterinary Council,” said Dickson Tayebwa, one of the lead petitioners. “When the Council was established, we celebrated it because we want regulation and professionalism. But increasing fees from Shs100,000–150,000 to Shs500,000 without proper consultation is not regulation—it is punishment.”
Submitted on April 30, 2026, the petition highlights a serious shortage of veterinary personnel in Uganda. The country requires at least 4,529 veterinary professionals and 19,719 paraprofessionals to serve 146 districts and over 2,190 sub-counties.
However, only 372 veterinarians (8.2% coverage) and 998 paraprofessionals (5.1% coverage) are currently registered.
Registered veterinary clinics also remain critically low, with only 11 operating nationwide against a required 2,191.
Source: Nile post
The practitioners argue that the sharp increase—from Shs150,000 to Shs500,000 for veterinary surgeons and from Shs100,000 to Shs340,000 for paraprofessionals—will push many qualified professionals out of practice, make veterinary services unaffordable for smallholder farmers, and threaten key government programmes such as the Parish Development Model (PDM) and Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) control efforts.
“We are not against the Uganda Veterinary Council,” said Dickson Tayebwa, one of the lead petitioners. “When the Council was established, we celebrated it because we want regulation and professionalism. But increasing fees from Shs100,000–150,000 to Shs500,000 without proper consultation is not regulation—it is punishment.”
Submitted on April 30, 2026, the petition highlights a serious shortage of veterinary personnel in Uganda. The country requires at least 4,529 veterinary professionals and 19,719 paraprofessionals to serve 146 districts and over 2,190 sub-counties.
However, only 372 veterinarians (8.2% coverage) and 998 paraprofessionals (5.1% coverage) are currently registered.
Registered veterinary clinics also remain critically low, with only 11 operating nationwide against a required 2,191.
Source: Nile post
