BY GODFREY NTAGUNGIRA
EASTERN PROVINCE

Nyagatare — Twelve cattle belonging to four different owners were seized and are awaiting auction in Rwempasha sector, Nyagatare district after owners defied district bylaws limiting the transfer of animals as a health precaution.
Executive secretary Emmanuel Bakunda, says the measures are meant to discipline local farmers on how dangerous the transfer can be.
"The only option is to put those seized cattle into public auction as the district stands to discipline such people who behave in a selfish manner. The money to be earned from the auction will support the district project initiated  to curb foot and mouth disease.”
The seizure of the cattle in Rwempasha sector comes days after district officials put on public auction at a cost worthy Frw1.6 million 36 cattle belonging to Andrew Ngarambe a resident of Rwemiyaga sector.
"Nyagatare livestock farmers are just selfish and are the ones to blame the loss we are making presently. The district was put under quarantine but still many are violating the laws and district bylaws,” said Rwivanga, a resident of Rwempasha. "With me, I have this proposal that as the state has been sensitizing Rwandans against genocide ideology, the same approach should be borrowed to the livestock farmers because they have not yet grasped the economical effect of foot and mouth disease in the district.”
According to district bylaws, any cattle found moving from one sector or district to another are to be immediately put on public auction and the money earned from the auction to injected in the district project to curb the epidemics of cattle in the district.
Dozens of livestock farmers say the punishments are not community friendly and need to be amended, because when cattle is auctioned, the whole family suffers the consequences.
‘”let the root causer be put in prison but such injustice can’t continue to befell our brothers because when the cattle the whole family and dependants suffer the consequences,” one farmer said.