Masaka city to privatize garbage management

Masaka, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Masaka city authorities have embarked on identifying private firms to undertake garbage management in the town. This is aimed at closing the gap which was created by a shortfall in local revenue collections.

Pauline Nabadda, the Masaka city environment officer reveals that the decision to privatize garbage management in the town was reached following the chronic failure by the local government to effectively manage the solid waste materials in the area.

According to Nabadda, following the government ban on the collection of daily levies on taxi operators paid as operational licenses to the local governments, Masaka municipality lost a huge local revenue source hence struggling to meet the costs of offering social services including the collection of garbage.

Nabadda explains that they found it worthwhile to source for private individuals and firms that can undertake responsibilities of collecting and managing garbage other than leaving it to decompose in the public where it poses a threat to the environment.

According to the proposal, the city council will relinquish the responsibility for garbage handling to the private firms whose services will have to be directly paid for by the residents that wish to have their waste materials collected.

Nabadda indicates that they are also drafting an enabling ordinance which they intend to ensure effective implementation of the policy.

Nabadda indicates that her office is currently profiling all waste actors that are operating in the area intending to find appropriate ways of turning the waste materials into valuable resources.

Available records at Masaka municipal council indicate that the town generates at least 100 tons of garbage each month which is largely heaped at dumping sites where it is either burnt or left to decompose.

Godfrey Kayemba, the interim Masaka city mayor says the proposal comes as a relief to the city council that is currently spending highly on garbage collection yet they largely earn from it.

He explains that component of garbage management has been costing them 46% of their total budget which at the end of the day fails to address the underlying public need.

Vincent Kasumba, the President of Masaka City Development Forum, a platform of stakeholders who act as a link between the leadership and the community in the town has advised the leaders to first engage the public on the proposed policy before it is rolled out.

According to the Municipal Budget projection, Masaka has continuously registered sharp shortfalls in its local revenue collection projections. In the financial year 2017/18, out of the approved budget projection of 2.91 billion, the municipality only realized 377 million in local revenue, in the 2019/20 financial year, the municipality was able to collect only 239 million shillings of the estimated total of 2.43 billion shillings.

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