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Mukono, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Mukono municipal council has resolved to auction off one of its oldest garbage trucks to raise money for managing garbage within the municipality.
The council reached the resolution after failing to raise money to fuel trucks used in collecting waste leaving them grounded for a month. Road gangs responsible for cleaning streets have also abandoned work after spending four months without receiving payments.
The Finance and Planning Committee Secretary Romeo Augustine says since the lockdown begun, the municipality has failed to raise enough local revenue to extend services to people.
Augustine has presented before the council a committee’s resolution to auction off the truck that has been turning redundant. The municipality will remain with two garbage trucks in good shape once one is sold off. The municipality spends over 20 million shillings on fuel for garbage trucks every month.
“The selected truck for auctioning No. UXE 126 was bought 15 years back by then Mukono town council. It has been experiencing mechanical problems that have also become expensive to fix. It requires a least 500,000 shillings every month for only repair which money could be used as top up to fuel the other trucks collect waste.” Augustine says.
Jamada Kajoba the Deputy Municipal Mayor says it looks funny to take such adecision of selling off one of the truck but it is one of the means intended to extend service to people.
“We used to borrow fuel from one of the petrol station we chose to partner with as the municipality to extend services to people, but of late they have also limited us due to the increasing debt that we are also struggling settle.” Kajoba says.
Mukono municipality like other urban areas in the country, has been challenged to collect garbage from streets especially after the outbreak of corona virus.
David Ssenyonjo a trader at Nasuuti in Mukono Central Division says through community engagement they ensure that garbage is not scattered but their efforts to gather it in one place is frustrated by the municipality officials who fail to collect it in time.
“The municipality should collect waste in time, otherwise it just spreads diseases; let them use the little we pay for garbage collection to ensure that the town is clean,” he argued.
Robert Kabanda another resident says the municipality has become too reluctant yet the community is experiencing routine downpours which increase disease outbreak.
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