Mukono Municipality leaders, led by Deputy Town Clerk Majerani Luboyera and Municipal MP Betty Nambooze, took action on Monday evening to halt further garbage dumping by the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) at the Katikolo landfill. The leaders criticized KCCA for its failure to adhere to a recently agreed-upon resolution between the two government entities.
On August 23, 2024, the Mukono Municipality Council passed a resolution permitting KCCA to dump waste at Katikolo landfill for three days as a temporary measure to address the waste crisis in Kampala after Kiteezi landfill was deemed unsafe for use. This permission was granted on the condition that the government would allocate Shillings 4.5 billion to Mukono to secure additional land and establish a waste management plant.
Other stipulations included fencing the landfill, providing immediate connection of residents around Katikolo to a national water grid to prevent water contamination, and grading the roads leading to the landfill. However, to date, there have been no clear indicators of implementation for any of these conditions. During a meeting at Katikolo, which was also attended by the Lord Mayor and councilors from KCCA, the Deputy Town Clerk emphasized that KCCA and the government had failed to fulfill their commitments to the local community.
He announced a suspension of the dumping operations until new, clear terms could be established.“The deadline we gave you has already expired. You have breached the agreement, and from now on, we ask you to find a new place to dump your garbage. Do not bring it back to Mukono,” the Deputy Town Clerk stated to the Lord Mayor and his team.
In a surprising contrast, Mukono Environment Officer George Masengere noted that KCCA had been supporting the municipality with a grader and fuel to manage the garbage at Katikolo. This revelation angered local leaders, who accused him of being insensitive to the residents of Katikolo, who are already suffering from the consequences of the significant waste dumping.
KCCA dumps approximately 2,500 tonnes of garbage at Katikolo daily, and the five-acre site has begun to resemble a hill of waste. Katikolo Village Chairperson Godfery Sebulidde expressed concern about the potential outbreak of hygiene-related diseases in the area, citing the government’s failure to secure the site, which has allowed dogs, rats, and squirrels to access the landfill and return to the community.
He also raised alarms about water contamination, as Katikolo is adjacent to a wetland containing nearly three community wells. Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago acknowledged the concerns raised and indicated that they would convene in Kampala to seek alternative solutions.
“We are in serious danger as KCCA. In Katabi, the situation has failed us; in Menvu, it is also dire. We thank the chief minister for addressing our needs at this time. It is imperative for us as an agency to revisit our options because we do not want the issues that occurred at Kiteezi to be replicated in Mukono. Otherwise, we will alert the government and seek funds to secure a new landfill as soon as possible,” Lukwago emphasized.
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