KCCA launches household, community cleaning exercise

The Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has launched a household and community cleaning exercise aimed at promoting health and wellness among residents by sensitizing them on proper waste management and reducing littering in the city.

KCCA's ongoing efforts to rally town dwellers to adopt innovative and sustainable methods for managing solid waste seek to arrest the garbage crisis before a new landfill can be established.

The acting KCCA Director Public Health, Dr Sarah Zalwango while addressing participants during a community cleanup exercise at Kisenyi 3 cell in Central division, Kampala on Saturday challenged residents to improve household and community sanitation which she said is essential in preventing cholera following the collapse of the Kiteezi Landfill on August 10. 

“We are still looking for land to manage garbage in the city. KCCA has been grappling with waste disposal challenges, temporarily relocating garbage dumping to Katikolo in Mukono district as well as Katabi Landfill in Entebbe Municipality,” she said

The government is actively seeking a permanent solution that will focus on waste-to-energy conversion and recycling to address the city's long-term waste management needs, Zalwango promised.

In partnership with UOX Uganda, the cleanup exercise was conducted among other areas in Kamwokya in central division urging residents to reduce waste generated, sort garbage at source, reuse what is reusable and recycle where necessary.

The cleanup exercise duped, ‘Longoosa Kampala’ targets to improve sanitation around your residence, place of work, office, and neighbourhoods every last Saturday of the month.

“Starting on October 26, 2024, from 7 am to 10 am, everyone is appealed to participate and clean up the environment around the homestead,” Zalwango said.

Deus Kiseka, a resident in Kisenyi, advised that sorting of garbage is the only way to get rid of the heaps of garbage on roadsides.

“Community must adhere and deploy scouts to monitor the proper disposal of waste to the right places. This business of throwing garbage in drainage channels whenever it rains or threatens to rain must stop,” he said.

Garbage is a lucrative business to venture into, mostly to the farmers only if it is well sorted for manure. It can be used as fertilizers to mulch gardens and improve crop yields, Kiseka advised.

‘Smart City’ initiative has been moving at a sluggish pace with residents minding less towards community cleaning and passengers throwing garbage haphazardly in window screens of cars and buses while moving on streets.

Central division Mayor, Salim Uhuru, urged residents to take ownership of the cleanliness of their city to fight against urban waste.

"We are all in this together," Uhuru said. 

"Managing garbage cannot be left to KCCA alone, this is our city, and we must start from our homes. Each one of us has a duty to ensure our surroundings are clean."

KCCA hosted a waste and sanitation engagement two months ago at Kitante Primary School, drawing Smart City ambassadors from all 857 villages of the city

The event, which kicked off at 10 am, is part of KCCA's ongoing efforts to rally grassroots to adopt innovative and sustainable methods for managing solid waste.

As the event concluded, participants were reminded that keeping Kampala clean is not just a job for KCCA but a duty for all who live in the city.