Waste Management: Masindi Businesses Fight Garbage Odor

Business owners in Masindi Municipality have expressed concern over the growing garbage problem in the city which they say is affecting their operations.

Heaps of uncollected garbage have accumulated along main roads, near markets and around shopping malls, creating an unpleasant atmosphere.

Residents say this is because municipality officials have closed many garbage dump sites, leaving only one dump site open in Kijura, a suburb of Masindi town. However, the community continues to dump garbage on the streets and other closed dump sites.

Mr Isaac Bongomin, Chairman of Masindi Central Division, says some landfill sites have been closed to create a central dump site to facilitate waste collection. This happened due to insufficient funds and lack of garbage collection machines.

“We need more garbage collection vehicles; Now we have one car that operates along a given route, but is often delayed due to breakdowns, and maintenance requires money, which sometimes we don’t have,” he says.

“We sometimes rely heavily on temporary workers to sweep the streets and sometimes collect rubbish throughout the city, and the council spends about Sh200 million annually on waste collection,” adds Mr Bongomin.

Mr Musa Kyema, a businessman from Masindi town, says ineffective municipal management is forcing them to dump waste at former collection sites.

“Where they want us to throw rubbish, some landfills have been closed and when the trucks are delayed, people end up dumping rubbish all over the place and the council is responsible for collecting the rubbish because we pay taxes.” – he said.

Many merchants and store owners report that the sight and smell of trash turns off potential customers.

“Customers don’t want to buy food and other goods from a place that looks and smells like this,” said Ms Anent Kabanyoro, a salesperson.

Resident James Tusime said trash piles often include decomposing organic materials, plastic waste and other harmful substances that can attract rodents and other vectors.

Mr Jackson Mbonerajo, the municipality’s finance minister, admitted that the council’s lone garbage truck required regular maintenance.

“The only truck we have cannot collect garbage from the entire municipality, we need another truck to be able to collect garbage,” he said.

In November 2023, the Masindi Municipal Council initiated a pilot program by contracting a private waste management firm, James Ventures Limited, which would undertake waste collection for a monthly fee paid by the people generating the waste.

Business owners in the municipality were required to pay between Sh10,000 and Sh150,000, depending on the level of waste generated, directly to James Ventures.

However, some residents refused to comply, saying the fees were too high.

Masindi Municipality Speaker Tadeo Opio has admitted the council’s shortcomings in waste management.

“We have faced financial challenges due to delays in receiving funds from the central government, which has impacted our ability to ensure timely waste collection,” Mr Opio explained.