Africa-Press – Uganda. Residents in Sheema Municipality have raised concern over the municipal authorities’ failure to collect garbage .
The residents said the garbage has not been collected for the last 30 days which has resulted in a stench.
However, the authorities blamed the issue on the government’s delay to release funds.
“We are losing our customers because of the stench, the council last collected garbage from around the town a month ago. The bad smell from the garbage is too much, especially in the slums areas,” Mr Elia Kateera, a trader, said in an interview on Tuesday.
He added: “We are paying a lot of money in local revenue to Sheema Municipal Council but instead of giving us services we are choking on garbage,” he said.
Mr Blair Mugabe, another trader, said they have engaged their leaders but they are yet to get any response.
He said they are at risk of contracting diseases such as Cholera.
“It is not only garbage. Kabwohe Town does not have a public toilet and some people have resorted to answering nature’s call in polythene bags which they throw in the middle of the road,” he said.
Mr Rodgers Byampunika, a resident of Sheema Municipality, said leaders are to blame because they lack the courage and confidence to properly work on issues that are affecting the locals.
However, Mr Abel Kahara, the Municipal mayor, said: “We are facing a number of challenges but the biggest is lack of funds from the Ministry of Finance because all the money from local revenue is sent back to the consolidated fund. Unless they change the policy, we will still suffer with garbage,” he said.
Mr Kahara said the municipality does not have a tender to handle garbage collection since the divisions have been collecting garbage under their budgets.
“The plans are underway to tender garbage collection,” he said.
Mr Samuel Ahabwe, the municipal town clerk, said they do not have trucks to collect garbage but they have been using small vehicles to do the job.
“All this is as a result of lack of funds. Even the vehicles we have been using are grounded. We are trying to look around and see if we can get a truck. We will collect the garbage as soon as possible,” he said.
About Sheema Municipality
According to the national population and housing census of 2014, Sheema Municipality has 223 cells, 23 wards and four divisions (Kashozi Kabwohe, Kagango and Sheema Central), and has a population of 80,375.
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