Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has apologised to residents of Makindye for delays in collecting garbage following last week’s national clean-up exercise.
KCCA executive director Sharifa Buzeki made the apology while leading a Weyonje community clean-up exercise in Kakungulu Zone, Kibuli Parish, Makindye.
“I want to thank the residents of this area and apologise for the delay in collecting your garbage,” Buzeki said.
She explained that the clean-up exercise generated large volumes of waste, which delayed collection in some areas. She said KCCA would deploy all its garbage collection trucks to ensure waste is collected promptly after future clean-up activities.
Buzeki also urged residents to use only pre-qualified garbage collection companies contracted by KCCA. She said working with licensed companies enables the authority to monitor service delivery and hold providers accountable.
She added that KCCA trucks would be deployed along different roads where the Weyonje initiative is conducted. Residents were advised to gather their garbage at designated collection points to make collection faster and more efficient.
KCCA director of Public Health and Environment, Dr Sarah Zalwango, warned residents against dumping waste into drainage channels, saying the practice contributes to flooding and poor sanitation.
She also expressed concern about traders who continue to operate along roadsides in violation of city regulations. [Watch Video]
During the exercise, some roadside kiosks were demolished by KCCA enforcement officers. The affected traders criticised the authority, saying they had not been given prior notice before the structures were removed.
The traders said they were low-income earners who depended on the businesses to support their families and educate their children.
Other residents accused KCCA’s physical planning department of failing to prevent people from constructing temporary and permanent buildings on road reserves, which they said has contributed to the city’s planning challenges.
The clean-up exercise comes shortly after the Weyonje initiative received a Shs25 billion funding boost to strengthen waste management and sanitation services in Kampala and the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area.
