KCCA cleaners’ jobs are secure

Since 2016, Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has used the PPDA recommended reservation schemes guidelines, to recruit cleaners for cleaning the city.  The law provides for the inclusion of local communities including registered small and medium enterprises and business ventures. KCCA pioneered this inclusion by enabling the creation of SACCOs for city dwellers who might not have completed formal education, and youth who haven’t accessed formal employment. Other vulnerable members of the community are also considered. Currently there are SACCOs in all the five divisions in Kampala.

In 2022, KCCA embarked on evaluation and reassessment of the existing SACCOs. The goal was to ensure best performance and value for money and to weed out any malpractices. The Council of the Authority at City Hall, considered, approved and passed the revised policy on cleaning services at KCCA in June 2022. The policy aims at strengthening the communities by providing jobs to the most vulnerable in society through reservation schemes. The major revision was that the SACCOs be formed at the constituency level. In effect this increases the SACCOs to 10 in number as opposed to the original five. It also enables the city to be cleaned more effectively by more workers.
The KCCA technical team commenced the implementation of the policy through the KCCA procurement processes. The process includes inviting bids, evaluation and contracting the successful bidders. When the results were declared dissent and protests started with the central division.

On Monday  February 27 , some cleaners converged at City Hall protesting the procurement outcomes. The dissent and restlessness is caused by the entry of new SACCOs in the playing field. The SACCOs, who have operated in the space as a monopoly, do not want the entry of new comers or competitors. The newcomers are known as Seven Hills who comprise largely a group of reformed young men and women who used to loiter the streets with no gainful employment. With the support of KCCA, these young people have reorganised and taken on meaningful work in the city. During the Covid-19 period, KCCA formed them into cleaning gangs under the Smart City Campaign. Their job was to unblock drainages at all the dark spots in the city. Under the supervision of the waste solid management team, they worked day and night with boundless energy and responded to every crisis in the city during the lockdown.
They were called upon where there were floods, fallen trees and buildings and they responded. With time, they organised themselves into a small scale organisation known as Seven Hills and created SACCOS to empower their members to save. Right now these hitherto unemployed youth have proper identification with bank accounts. Thus Seven Hills is seen as a threat to the old SACCOS.

Fortunately, KCCA has enough work to occupy old and new teams, the total of the workforce is over 4,500. There is enough work for everyone and no jobs will be lost. The older SACCOs have exercised their rights and filed a petition with the Accounting officer to protest the results of the bids. That is a welcome move as opposed to the riots. There is room in the law to handle the petitions. The idea behind the reservation schemes is that the jobs will go to the most  vulnerable and not for profiteering.

KCCA is therefore going to commence an administrative review in accordance with PPDA law to ensure justice is done for all. Dissatisfaction with the process should follow the PPDA law. The petition will trigger administrative review and the review will determine whether the procurement is cancelled or not. The KCCA leaders at division levels are in charge of this cleaning function and the Town Clerks with their teams are the first place for appeal where there is dissent. It will be peacefully resolved.

The SACCOs methodology promotes a savings culture and enables groups to access available opportunities. All registered Sacco members must have a government identity and a banking account. Through these SACCOs, KCCA is promoting the culture of inclusiveness of all stakeholders in the city irrespective of their background and political leaning. 
The basic criteria is that you live where you work. The SACCOs ensure that more people are entering the money economy in accordance with government policy announced in the NRM manifesto.

Ms Dorothy Kisaka is the  Executive Director, Kampala Capital City Authority.