Africa-Press – Uganda. Residents of Kamonkoli Town Council in the eastern district of Budaka have raised serious concerns about the heaps of garbage that have continued to pile up on various streets in the town centre.
Uncollected garbage continues to choke the town council due to piles of garbage littering the streets.
Mr Sam Wajega, one of the opinion leaders and the affected landlords said that the garbage has caused a heavy stench in the town drawing protests from the locals.
“Tenants and concerned residents mobilized themselves, hired tricycles, loaded garbage, and dumped it in front of town hall’s main entrance. This was to show the leaders their dismay over the uncollected garbage. It was imperative that they (town council officials) respond immediately,” Mr Wajega said.
“Both residents and the business community including landlords have on several occasions raised this matter with town council officials but they have failed to remove the pilling heaps of garbage. Dumping garbage in front of their offices was in protest against them to react over the matter,” he emphasized.
Mr Wajega further explained that the residents and the business community had complained about the irregular collection and disposal of garbage which is just in the middle of the centre destructing business.
“This has complicated the lives of the people who operate businesses in that proximity. The stench that comes out is likely to cause more dangerous illness whereas town council officials are not bothered at all,” he observed.
According to the residents, the town council authorities have not collected garbage from the central business for over a year, leaving the garbage to accumulate.
Ms Connie Mudenya, a juice seller, operating a shop, which is close to the dumping site said that the garbage has piled up for nearly one year. “This smell has greatly affected our business and yet at the end of the financial year, these same people [town council] demand tax,” she said.
She added that stench and flies from the garbage have chased away her customers because the environment is not so friendly to people, noting that it is a serious matter that should be handled with the utmost urgency it deserves.”
The LC3 Chairman, Mr Christopher Wamubiligwe Ketta, urged the residents to remain calm as the town council authorities are expeditiously looking for land where it could act as waste disposal. He attributed the delayed removal of garbage to lack of space.
“We are doing everything we can to procure the garbage site. Under our budget, we have planned to procure enough land for garbage disposal,” he said.
While leaders admit that garbage is a challenge in Kamonkoli Town Council, they say that it is still new and operating on a minimal budget which makes it difficult to effectively manage waste in the area.
Mr Ketta said that garbage heaps remain a huge challenge despite their efforts to address it. The budget line for the town council has remained the same affecting service delivery.
Kamonkoli Town Council in Budaka District Local Government is one of the newly created town councils with a staggering population of 25,500 with two wards.
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