By Joseph Mary Buwule
Kabale District Local Government has handed over beekeeping equipment worth Shs28.9 million to 17 youths in Kyanamira Sub-county in a move aimed at promoting honey production, creating employment opportunities and improving household incomes.
The support, delivered through the district’s Production Department, is targeting members of the Bufuka Youths Beekeeping Group under the Uganda Climate-Smart Agricultural Transformation Project (UCSATP), a government initiative designed to improve agricultural productivity, strengthen resilience to climate change and enhance farmers’ livelihoods.
The handover ceremony took place at Amasiko Primary School in Kyanamira Sub-county, where the beneficiaries received a range of modern beekeeping equipment intended to increase production, improve honey quality and strengthen their capacity to operate commercially.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), the equipment package comprises 170 Kenya Top Bar (KTB) beehives, 17 protective overalls with attached veils, 17 pairs of bee gloves, 17 pairs of gumboots, 17 bee brushes, 85 airtight buckets, 34 sieves, 17 hive tools, 17 bee smokers and 17 hive knives.
Speaking during the handover, Alphonse Twinamasiko, Chairperson of the Bufuka Youths Beekeeping Group, said the equipment would significantly improve the group’s beekeeping activities and enable members to produce better-quality honey.
Twinamasiko revealed that the beneficiaries had fulfilled their financial obligations under the project’s co-funding arrangement, contributing Shs6.36 million, representing 20 per cent of the total project cost.
The government contributed the remaining Shs22.54 million, equivalent to 80 per cent of the investment.
Each of the 17 group members contributed Shs374,400 towards the group’s share of the project cost, demonstrating their commitment to the initiative.
The provision of 170 beehives translates into an average allocation of 10 hives per beneficiary, providing the young people with an opportunity to expand honey production and develop beekeeping into a sustainable income-generating enterprise.
The Uganda Climate-Smart Agricultural Transformation Project is part of government’s efforts to promote climate-resilient agricultural practices while supporting farmers and organised community groups with productive assets and technologies.
Through the initiative, the government seeks to diversify rural livelihoods, encourage youth participation in agriculture and strengthen household economic resilience.
Beekeeping is increasingly being promoted as an alternative agricultural enterprise because it requires relatively limited land and can complement other farming activities.
Beyond honey production, apiculture also supports environmental conservation through pollination, which contributes to crop productivity and biodiversity.
The intervention in Kyanamira is expected to provide the 17 beneficiaries with an opportunity to improve their livelihoods while contributing to the growth of Uganda’s honey industry.
