Magyezi leads govt pork maestros in loud grunts to restore Bushenyi's Kabagarame joint

Fire gutted Kabagarame at the dawn of August, leaving many with the sweet tooth for the 'kisaniya' broken, beaten and yearning.

NATIONAL | There were loud oinks and grunts in Parliament on Tuesday as Local Government minister Raphael Magyezi led an animated - forgive the pun - call for restoration of Bushenyi's Kabagarame Pork Market.

Fire gutted Kabagarame at the dawn of August, leaving many with the sweet tooth for the 'kisaniya' broken, beaten and yearning.

And in Parliament this week, it turned out that Minister Magyezi and others are some of those who are yet to come to terms with the fact that Kabagarame turned into ash.

Mr Magyezi said his ministry was treating the Kabagarame loss as a "critical matter" and that, as government, they are looking into sending a team and assess the situation and draw up a redevelopment chart.

"I'm also a client in that market and am inviting [Joseph Gonzaga] Ssewungu to visit that market when he travels to the region," he said.

Kalungu West MP Ssewungu is said to be one of those who grunts tearfully whenever protesters 'desecrate' the sacred appetise-inducing animal by painting and dropping them around and about.

"Lets see how we can protect but we're also looking at how we can modernise it," Magyezi said of the government's big leap into the Kabagarame kisaniya.

Bushenyi Woman MP Annie Mugisha told Parliament that the pork business in the district has created employment to both youth and elderly.

Ms Mugisha said at least 600 pigs per month.

Police are yet to release a report on what caused the fire that razed down Kabagarame, located in Ruharo Ward, Bushenyi-Ishaka Municipality off Bushenyi–Mbarara highway.

But with suspicions of foul play, MP Mugisha told Parliament that there was a need for establishment of a police post, fencing and installation of CCTV cameras in and around the market to secure it.

The animated push for Kabagarame market appears to underline how important the delicacy is to some of the people in government and legislators - although President Museveni has always indicated his aversion for the same.

Kabagarame market was started in 1995 by John Barugahare and Paulino Nshemereirwe, who were popular butchers in the area.

The market got its name from a pork enthusiastic called Beitomwe Muraahi, aka Kamurye, who was used to calling out to patrons “abantu kubaramarekulya empunu baze omukyishayi bagarame” - loosely translated as after enjoying pork, one should go to the pitch and lie on their back with their distended belly to the sky."

What started as a joint for a simple village meeting turned into a fully-fledged weekly happening place for groups of friends, civil servants, families and other people who come from as far as Kampala, Kabale, Mbarara for pork tourism.

Kabagarame famously operated on Saturdays as its flea market day, drawing clientele that created a carnival atmosphere in the area.

Going by the oinks and grunts from stakeholders in government, it appears like kisaniya and kikalayi will be back in Kabagarame bigger and crunchier.