Kiteezi: Indicator of poor planning

For the last 10 years, there have been pointers that the Kiteezi garbage site was not only full but had become unsafe, unhealthy to the surrounding communities. 

This hilly area had started developing cracks, a sign that it would give way. The site managers-Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) knew of this crisis but as it always the case it remained business as usual.

Disasters are unavoidable, but the Kiteezi mayhem could have been diverted or stopped. In our homes, work places and government entities safety culture is wanting. From schools, churches, homes, factories, offices, warehouses, markets etc, there is no semblance of safety. 

I am not even sure if KCCA has a unit on risk management. With or without it, the Kiteezi garbage area has been a known risk that is was in deep red. 

Of course the usual scapegoat is lack of funds. This is understandable but at what cost? Why should KCCA avail resources to work on Mulago roundabout but fail to raise a few billion shillings to deal with a safety and health issue? The sequencing of issues at KCCA must be a challenge. Anything that hurts safety or security of the population must be dealt with and immediately. 

The Kiteezi matter should have been very urgent and if it required supplementary budgets, the Finance ministry should have intervened to assist in securing funds. 

The safety culture in Uganda is so bad. It is possible for a developer to put up a Shs10b infrastructure without minding about the safety apparatus and systems like fire systems, drainage, etc. Moreover, this begins at the planning level.

The architect will ignore the required system, even when included, the engineer on site will be asked by the developer to ignore until the site is complete and handed over to the owner. KCCA, which is mandated to issue occupancy permit, will go on and issue one without these critical safety systems in place. 

Check with the arcades in Kampala and see how many fire hydrants are in those beautiful expensive buildings, look for safety notices, emergency exit routes, trained fire marshals and first aiders etc. Certainly, a handful will have these important apparatus. Any unsafe practice is detrimental to the both person and the infrastructure. 

I remember not long ago, some KCCA water hydrants that police is meant to use were tested and found dry. This basic but very important asset should be ready for use at all times. You can have 100 gas stations in Kampala without working water hydrants. The possibility of fire outbreak is eminent. Kampala as a city is susceptible to fire outbreaks.

Emergency response

Emergency response timelines are an indicator of our in-house planning, and general leadership. Smart emergency response plans save lives, properties and it’s a pointer of stellar leadership. 

Delayed emergence responses causes anger, invites for rudimentary response and in most times causes more danger than it ought to solve. The Kiteezi population were more angered by delayed and later slow response than the incident itself. Incident response and management is very critical to the overall incident handling including dissemination of information. 

It was in the news that one officer hitherto mandated to speak on behalf of the KCCA institution stopped people from giving information including signing witness statement. 

Ideally, an officer from KCCA should have been permanently positioned at the rescue command centre to specifically give information to the public through all media channels including social media. The absence of this person opens a window of false information and the Ugandans that I know will take any information on face value. 

The affected community require basic needs. I expect National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) to connect at least 10 water points where a mega tent has been erected to complement efforts of other government agencies and ministries that have provided mobile toilets, basic beddings and food items.

 The army can coordinate these activities because they have bigger sauce pans and metallic plates that are less likely to be stolen or damaged.

 I expect a mobile health unit to be put in place consisting of doctors, nurses and other medical personnel. These interventions are demonstration of a working emergency response plan. 

Whereas Kiteezi is now a crime scene, Kampala dwellers and the business community continue to produce garbage that must be taken away without interruption. Any uncollected garbage is a risk that can result into many diseases including chorea, diarrhorea, skin diseases etc. 

I remember there was a time when roads were impassable, and garbage trucks could not access Kiteezi for three days. Kampala became a garbage city in those three days. 

So, if only three days led to a city of black dark houseflies what about the current situation at Kiteezi? There should have been an alternate dumping site. There is still a lot of vacant land on Kapeka and Busunju roads, etc. KCAA should, thereby handle the garbage dumping sites as important as the way you handle your salaries at the end of the month. 

Samson Tinka is a safety and security consultant. 

[email protected]