For many residents, the harvest is both a cultural tradition and an important source of income.

“Senene are part of our culture because they did not begin today; they have existed since the time of our ancestors,” vendor Aisha Athumani said.

Traders say the seasonal business supports thousands of families across the region.

“To be honest, senene has helped me a lot,” trader Abdulazak Michael said. “My children are in school, I have built a house, and I support my family.”

After harvesting, the insects are typically cleaned and fried with salt and spices or smoked and dried for longer storage. They are commonly eaten as snacks, served alongside meals, or sold in markets in sealed bags and containers.

Considered a delicacy in the Kagera Region and parts of Uganda, senene harvesting has become a significant seasonal economic activity, with regional estimates suggesting that several thousand tonnes are collected during peak harvest periods each year.

One eatery serving pagpag has recently drawn attention from international visitors and online viewers. 

On Tuesday, December 2, footage captured the owner, Dennifer Hueves, carefully washing buckets of salvaged chicken meat. She described the process used to make the food edible.

"So that it's clean, I rinsed it twice with water, then the third time I soaked and rinsed it with hot water," Hueves explained.

After washing, she chops the meat, adds seasonings and other ingredients, and deep-fries it. 

The dish originated from extreme poverty in the 1960s, when the country was plagued by a debt crisis and severe under employment , forcing many people to migrate to cities in search of employment. These communities began using leftover scraps of protein from various sources, which later turned into pagpag.

For many in Tondo, pagpag, which costs about 34 cents ($0.34), is the most affordable compared to other food choices out there. 

 "Pagpag costs only 20 pesos, while a vegetable dish out there costs 30–50 pesos; that's why we're saving money when we eat pagpag," resident Nenita Zamora told Viory.

The dish gained wider attention when travel influencer Baozou Brother, who has over 6.5 million followers on social media , posted a video of himself trying pagpag. 

His video sparked an online discussion about food safety and poverty. He struggled with the dish, claiming that while the flavour was "acceptable", the psychological barrier of swallowing it was difficult to overcome.

One resident defended the dish, stating, "I believe that pagpag is safe because of the way it was cleaned, rinsed and cooked. I can say that the bacteria were diminished when it was soaked in hot water and cooked to prevent any stomach problems."

However, the National Anti-Poverty Commission has issued warnings against the consumption of pagpag due to the potential health risks. The agency cited diseases such as hepatitis A, typhoid, diarrhoea, and cholera, along with general malnutrition concerns.