Poor quality of hides and skins is one of the reasons why Africa partakes only less than 1% of the total value of the hides and skin trade. A study was carried out to determine the different types of skin conditions and other defects leading to low quality of goatskins from Uganda. One thousand six hundred ninety seven goats (1697) from two abattoirs; two hundred seventy seven skin rejects from skin stores and fifty wet-blue skin rejects were used in the study. Two hundred thirty two goats (13.6%) of the goats had skin lesions. The major lesions were: demodectic mange (29.3%), arthropod induced dermatitis (8.6%), abscesses (5.2%), tumours (5.2%), traumatic injuries (4.3%), pustular dermatitis (16.8%), pyogranulomas (3.9%), epidermal cysts (3.9%), parasitic and foreign body granulomas (1.3% each) and ringworms (1.3%). Defects found to cause rejection of skins in the 3 Hides and Skins Stores were: flay cuts (41.5%), putrefaction (39.7%), vermin damage (13.7%), thinness (10.1%), small sized skins (6.5%), dermatophilosis (1.0%) and abscesses (1.4%). The main causes of rejection in wet-blue skins were: putrefaction (62.0%), vermin damage (38%) and flay cuts (18%). Post slaughter defects were responsible for 86.2% of the total rejection of goatskins, while pre-slaughter defects were found in only 13.6% of the goats examined at the abattoir. The overall rejection of skins due to skin diseases was less than 10%. It was recommendeds and that farmers and hides and skin handlers should adopt proper suggested best practices for production of good quality skins; and provisions of incentives as the most important step to improve quality of goatskins in the country.