70 rubbish collecting companies bitter about KCCA not licensing them

At least 70 garbage collectors in Kampala are at logger heads with three licensed companies over the collection of waste in the city.

The 70 companies who were licensed earlier by both Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) and National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) were dropped after KCCA legalised three major companies to handle waste management in the city.

In 2016, KCCA divided Kampala into seven zones, whose garbage collection is managed by Nabugabo Updeal, Home Clean Services and Kampala Solid Waste Consortium. The arrangement between the newly licensed companies meant the over 70 companies who had started operating earlier would not be collecting garbage.

The affected companies claim that their employees have been arrested by Nabugabo Updeal and in many cases their trucks impounded. Some of them say that although KCCA reallocated the contract, they cannot stop collecting garbage as it is their only way of survival.

Mark Ofwono, of Ben City Uganda Limited says his company was established in 2002, and it has been dealing in garbage collection since then. He says that it is unfair for KCCA to sideline them and yet they initiated contacts and opened the way for the business.

He states that Ben City has specific customers whose garbage demands are fully met. His company employs 20 people.

Abu Sonko, the director Nabugabo Updeal blames KCCA for failing to get rid of illegal garbage collectors, adding that one of the terms of the contract was that the three companies will be the only ones to collect garbage.

Joseph Ssali, a garbage collector notes that most of the people in the business are unemployed youths who are graduates, but KCCA is only considering big companies with huge investments.

He says since the population of Kampala has increased, the size of garbage has increased and this requires more people.

Dr Dan Okello, the KCCA Director Public Health told URN that they awarded the contracts to those with the capacity to collect garbage around Kampala. He says that although there are several garbage collectors in Kampala, there has to be order and a way to manage them. Okello notes that the process of acquiring the garbage collectors was very transparent.

The Minsiter for Kampala, Beti Kamya says KCCA will have to take a major decision on the fate of the affected companies by either including them or reviewing the policy on waste management

In the Strategic Plan 2014/2015 - 2018/2019, KCCA estimates that Kampala's average waste generation is 1kg per capita per day. With a population of 4.5 million people, this translates into 50,000 tonnes of solid waste a day. The city authority estimates the daily tonnage to increase to about 60 000 by 2017, or an increase of 43%.

-URN