Mbarara moots law to ban spitting in public
A street child collects garbage around shops in Mbarara City recently. Failure to keep one’s premises clean is one of the violations in the proposed Mbarara City Council ordinance. PHOTO | RAJAB MUKOMBOZI
What you need to know:
- Mayor Robert Kakyebezi said the proposed ordinance is to spur the socio-economic transformation of Mbarara City and its residents.
Mbarara City Council has drafted a law on solid waste management which, among others, seeks to impose a Shs40,000 penalty on those convicted of spitting in public.
The ordinance, whose debate and enactment are pending councillors’ ongoing consultations with the electorate, covers violations such as dumping and littering in public places.
It also seeks to punish those who allow garbage to accumulate at their premises, unlawful and improper disposal of carcasses, failure to keep premises clean, production, distribution, storage, sale and use of banned plastic items.
“We not only want to make Mbarara City one of the cleanest cities in the country and East Africa region, but also in the whole world. We are expected to pass this ordinance in three months’ time after councillors have studied it,” Mr Bonny Tashobya, the council speaker, told Daily Monitor yesterday.
Mayor Robert Kakyebezi said the proposed ordinance is to spur the socio-economic transformation of Mbarara City and its residents.
“You will not attract investment in a filthy and dirty city…We can compromise on other things, but not garbage and waste management. I do not need calls from anyone that he or she or a relative has been arrested because of irresponsible garbage disposal,” he said.
Mr Kakyebezi added: “We have already made a policy that before any business is approved to operate here, or those already operating and seeking to renew their licences, they have to first show proof of how they will manage garbage.”
Mbarara became a city in July 2020, alongside Arua, Jinja, Gulu, Masaka, and Mbale.
“Because of our good garbage management since getting city status, many other cities have come to benchmark [from] us and we are working on many policies to ensure sustainable transformation of our city,” the mayor said.
Dr Benson Mwesigye of Mbarara Family Clinic said the ordinance is not only good for the cleanliness of the city, but also helps prevent outbreak of communicable diseases.
Mr Godson Oketcho, an LC1 chairperson in Mbarara City North, said the ordinance is a good move to ensure cleanliness of the city but added that the locals need to be sensitised about it before it’s enacted and enforced.
