Kampala, Uganda | URN | President Museveni has proposed a tax exemption on the salaries of scientists, arguing that their work has a tremendous impact on the country’s development.
Speaking during the launch of a Ugandan-made anti-tick vaccine at the National Livestock Resources Research Institute in Namulonge on Thursday, Museveni said the tax relief would be similar to what is exempted from soldiers and police officers.
He said he plans to propose the tax exemption under the new government he is set to assume in the coming months, and urged NRM Members of Parliament present to support the initiative.
Museveni noted that even after recent salary increases, scientists lose up to 30% in taxes, leaving them with relatively little despite the importance of their work.
The President also pledged continued support for scientists, including an additional 600 billion shillings requested by NARO to establish a pharmaceutical city.
Yona Baguma, the Director General of NARO, described the development as a long-awaited breakthrough for farmers and the government.
He noted that the state-of-the-art facility will produce vaccines capable of protecting millions of cattle while also supporting exports to neighboring countries.
Baguma added that the initiative aligns with broader continental ambitions to strengthen food security and reduce reliance on imported vaccines.
He emphasized that the new facility represents a shift toward self-reliance and innovation, stressing that Africa must develop its own agricultural technologies to remain globally competitive.
He explained that research on the anti-tick vaccine began in 2013, with scientists extracting proteins from locally collected ticks across multiple agroecological zones in Uganda.
Extensive laboratory and field trials demonstrated the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness, achieving an efficacy rate of over 93% against major tick species affecting livestock.
According to Baguma, the facility has the capacity to produce up to 36 million doses annually. Initial production has already yielded 1.5 million doses, which have been used in trial programs involving farmers across 60 districts.
Thousands of cattle, goats, and sheep have been vaccinated, with early results showing a significant reduction in tick infestations and related diseases.
Baguma also revealed that demand for the vaccine is already emerging from neighboring countries, signaling strong regional potential.
Fredrick Kabi, the Principal Research Officer and lead investigator on the project, said the vaccine targets three major tick species responsible for livestock diseases: the brown ear tick, blue tick, and variegated tick.
These ticks are known to transmit deadly diseases such as East Coast fever and heartwater, among others.
Kabi explained that the misuse and overuse of acaricides by farmers has led to tick resistance against existing imported treatments.
He added that once a cow is vaccinated, it produces antibodies that gradually kill ticks when they attach and feed. He also noted that the development of the vaccine has cost over 100 billion shillings, funded by the government.
The vaccine will cost 10,000 shillings to the farmers, and it’s effective every six months
Uganda is estimated to lose up to 3.8 trillion shillings annually due to tick-borne diseases, which significantly reduce livestock productivity.
