Mbale turns to private garbage collectors to clean up city

Mbale, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Mbale City Council authorities are optimistic that the problem of garbage within the city which has been a challenge due to the institution’s financial and manpower constraints will be  permanently solved through engaging private garbage collectors.

According to leaders, they have started the process of engaging private garbage collectors to help them in the management of solid waste within the city, noting that their role will be to provide an enabling environment for the contractors to ensure they do their work.

Garbage has over the years piled up on various streets in Mbale town, even before it was elevated to a city status. The garbage is littered everywhere especially at Mbale central market, North road and Kumi road among other places.

The garbage causes a heavy stench in the town drawing protests from traders. Both residents and business community have complained about the irregular collection and disposal of garbage yet they pay their taxes. The city currently generates over 180 tons of garbage on a daily basis.

Now the leaders in the city say due to the meager resources, they have opted to have private collectors on board such that the garbage generators pay for its removal and that they will only have to manage the dumping sites.

Rhoda Nyarib, Mbale City Senior Environment Officer said that the move is aimed at clearing all places that are filled with garbage, noting that the garbage management will now be the generators’ responsibility who will have to pay a fee to private collectors.

She said that the city has had a lot of challenges in garbage management because there are many places which have accumulated garbage which has not been collected over time.

Nyarib said that they have embarked on identifying competent private firms to do the job, and that they have instructed all LCI chairpersons to register all their residents especially those who operate in market places such that they are able to make a contribution for a private garbage collector, noting that the public will have to pay garbage fee for the collectors to facilitate their work.

Mbale City Mayor Kasim Namugali said that that they launched the Keep Mbale City Clean campaign so that people take the responsibility to ensure they live in a clean city.

Last week, the city council launched a keep Mbale clean campaign aimed at improving the status of the town and restoring its lost glory. This was the second time the authorities were launching such a campaign.

In 2019, the then Mbale Municipality launched the same campaign aimed at improving the hygiene and sanity of the town but this did not yield fruits as garbage continued to be a challenge.

Musa Kasaja, the Speaker of Mbale Industrial City Division said that the general public will be involved in the management of the garbage and that the will also ensure the enforcement of the law.

David Wetaka, the Mbale City Development Forum President says they are changing the modus operandi from the city council collecting garbage to the private collectors who will be segmented in all parts of the city.

Mary Mukwana, the Director Domestic Waste Concern Limited, one of the private waste collectors in Mbale city said they are ready to serve the people so that they can reduce on the garbage that is littered in the city.

She said that it is everybody’s responsibility within the confines of the city to ensure he or she lives in a clean environment.

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