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Masaka City residents up in arms over garbage fees
Labourers load garbage onto a tractor in Masaka CIty on Wednesday. PHOTO | MALIK FAHAD JJINGO
What you need to know:
- Records indicate that between January and May this year, the city collected 18,000 tonnes of garbage.
Residents and traders in Masaka City are up in arms over what they describe as exorbitant fees levied by private firms managing solid waste.
Although the private firms were supposed to charge a standard fee of Shs200 per kilogramme of garbage, residents say they are paying exorbitant fees.
Residents claim the garbage collectors under two private firms, Youth in Action Masaka City (YAMAC) and Tusekimu Masaka City Association (TUMCAS), are instead charging between Shs5,000 and Shs10,000 depending on the size of the container used to collect garbage.
Ms Shamimu Nakawooya, the proprietor of Shamuwat Traders, a grocery shop on Edward Avenue, said: “Although charging money based on the weight of garbage is unfair, the same is true with the current system where payment depends on the size of the container of waste collected.’’
Ms Nakawooya spends at least Shs10,000 every month on garbage.
“It’s unbelievable that a grocery shop like mine has to pay Shs10,000. How much garbage do I generate? I am not running a restaurant; it is such places that generate a lot of solid waste,’’ she said.
Ms Jane Francis Namubiru, a proprietor of a restaurant on Elgin Street in Masaka City, said she spends more than Shs20,000 on garbage every month.
“When the council set Shs200 for each kilogramme of garbage, the fee was fair,’’ she said.
However, Mr Muhammad Nsibambi, one of the proprietors of YAMAC, said they introduced a new system of charging based on the size of the container/bag instead of weighing it in kilogrammes because they found out that they could “end up overcharging their clients.”
“To be fair, each shop/household that generates garbage needs to pay Shs10,000, though some shops pay Shs5,000 for the four times we collect garbage in a month, while restaurants and hotels pay between Shs10,000 and Shs20,000 depending on the garbage generated,’’ he said.
He added that some residents pay a small amount. “There are some people who pay between Shs1,000 and Shs2,000 every time we collect garbage,” he said.
Masaka City health inspector Musa Maberi said the law is clear that each kilogramme of garbage should cost Shs200. However, they left room for negotiation with the firms for individual city dwellers who generate bulky waste.
“I advise those who feel cheated to reduce the garbage they generate by avoiding materials like plastic bags,’’ he said.
Population pressure
Masaka City authorities can only collect 70 percent of the garbage, leaving 30 percent uncollected. Last year, the city generated at least 24,000 tonnes of garbage. Masaka City’s population has doubled in the last decade, from 79,000 to 251,000.
