Entebbe officials clash over poor implementation of waste management policy

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT  | There is infighting among different political leaders in Entebbe municipal council arising from the poor implementation of the waste management policy. In 2018, Entebbe municipality adopted a policy, which stopped the use of garbage skips.

The policy requires residents to collect waste in bags in their homes where it would be picked up a specified day the municipal trucks. According to the policy, each resident is expected to pay Shillings 120,000 annually as garbage collection fees.

However, the collection of the garbage is irregular, which forces residents to dump it in the open. Currently, residents dispose of waste in the nearby Namiiro swamp in Lugonjo, a suburb in the Municipality leaving the area smelly.

The swamp acts as a wetland that sieves water that gets to Lake Victoria and stretches from Nakiwogo, through Lugonjo to Kigungu, annex Entebbe International airport. Rose Nanvuma, a resident of Lugonjo in Entebbe says dumping waste in the swamp has interfered with water flow leading to flooding.

Moses Kamulegeya, another resident says his house and swamp have been turned into a dust bin where people drop the wastes because the municipality removed all gazzeted waste dumping sites.

The leaders at Entebbe division B and municipality are now clashing on who is mandated to collecting the waste management fees and clear the waste. The municipality is said to be taking all taxes without remitting any to the division, which is expected to collect the waste.

In 2018, Entebbe municipality received two garbage disposal trucks from Lake Victoria Environment Management Program. However, the vehicles are rarely used by the authorities to handle the challenge at hand.

This leaves the tourism hub grappling with poor waste management. Some of the residents claim that the poor waste management has led to the blockage of all water channels.

International Public health guidelines stipulate that waste management is every person’s responsibility in a given area. Rose Natukunda, a Public health worker in Entebbe Municipality, says residents need to understand the importance of a wetland, having clean and safe water and cleaning their areas of residence

Tadeo Kibirige, the Health Safety and Sciences Officer at Entebbe Division B, says well as skips and waste dumping areas were removed from some places in the division, people need to be educated that waste management is a joint effort between the leaders and residents.

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