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Mbale traders put leaders on notice over garbage pileup
A boy at a garbage heap near Mbale Central Market last year. Garbage management has become a perennial challenge for Mbale City. PHOTO/YAHUDU KITUNZI.
What you need to know:
- They say they are tired of operating in a filthy environment, which turns away their customers.
- Daily Monitor also learnt that markets face other challenges such as shortage of water and power blackouts, which affect the vendors’ operations.
Traders and vendors operating in different markets in Mbale City have threatened to abandon the facilities if the authorities do not speed up the process of collecting garbage.
Some of the vendors interviewed in Kikindu, Bugwere, Nakaloke and Mbale Central markets on Monday said they are tired of operating in a filthy environment yet they pay dues to the council, including for garbage collection, on a daily basis.
Mr Micheal Mulunda, a vendor in Kikindu market, said poor hygiene has forced some vendors to abandon the market and are now operating stalls along the roadsides.
“This problem is in all our markets in Mbale; though we would like to operate in a healthy environment, this has never been possible yet we pay Shs500 for garbage collection every day,” he said.
Other challenges
Daily Monitor also learnt that markets face other challenges such as shortage of water and power blackouts, which affect the vendors’ operations.
Mr Martin Wamundu, a trader in Mbale Central Market, said sometimes they operate without power and water for weeks but their leaders are not bothered.
“We also need water and electricity in the market but sometimes, we operate in darkness and without water for almost a month,” he said.
Ms Florence Nabukonde, another trader in Bugwere market, said they have continuously asked the leaders at the council to streamline leadership in the markets in vain.
“We lack focused leadership, which can help to sort out some of the challenges, quickly,” she said. Ms Monica Muloni, another vendor in Mbale Central Market, said poor sanitation has affected their sales. “Most people have resorted to buying from hawkers because of the poor sanitation in this market,” she said.
Lack of trucks
Mr Abudallah Wamotti, the assistant chairperson for Kikindu Market, however, blamed lack of a truck to collect garbage in the markets.
“There is only one truck collecting garbage in all markets and this is the challenge. I wish each market would be allocated one truck,” he said.
The acting communication officer of Mbale City, Mr James Kutosi, said the city generates an average of 15 tonnes of garbage waste on a daily basis, which has made it difficult for the authorities to collect due to lack of enough trucks and money to facilitate the transportation.
He, however, said they are setting up a garbage generation plant at Dokho in Industrial City Division as part of solutions towards managing waste.
“By the end of this year, we are going to have a generation plant and this will be a solution to the garbage,”he said, adding that plant will also come with other benefits such as power generation and employment opportunities.
Background
The Mbale City garbage problem has persisted for several years. In 2019, Mbale Municipal Council signed a deal with a Swedish investor to manage the town’s waste by turning it into energy/ electricity. According to the memorandum of understanding, the investor would construct a waste management plant and in turn use it to generate electricity. However, it is not clear the impact of this development on the garbage issue..
