Kampala city cleaners under Seven Hills and Community SACCO have asked the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Executive Director, Hajjat Sharifah Buzeki, to look into their plight and consider increasing their pay.
This was during the launch of a cleaning competition among Kampala divisions, dubbed the Weyonje Sanitation Challenge, held at Bwaise I Parish in Kawempe Division on Saturday.
During the launch of the challenge, city cleaners were asked by the KCCA ED to mention the challenges they face in keeping the city clean.
Farouk Bulime, the coordinator of Seven Hills Cleaning Services, asked Buzeki to plan for an increase in their pay, saying that city cleaners work under harsh conditions with a meagre daily wage of only 6,000 shillings, which does not match the country’s economic conditions.
Bulime asked the ED to at least increase their pay to 10,000 shillings daily so they can be able to cater for the basic needs of their families.
Bulime also noted that several cleaners have been knocked by speeding cars, mostly very early in the morning. He asked KCCA to ensure that injured cleaners receive free and urgent medical treatment when rushed to hospitals in Kampala.
John Kiwuwa, chairperson of the Kawempe Division Community SACCO, narrated how they work in dangerous health conditions, cleaning drains filled with human waste and other substances.
Kiwuwa expressed concern over people who dump waste in places already cleaned, especially at night. He appreciated the timely payment of salaries but re-echoed the need for a salary increase.
Sarah Zalwango, the Director of Public Health at KCCA, said the Weyonje Sanitation Challenge is aimed at uplifting the level of cleanliness among city divisions and villages in Kampala.
She noted that the challenge will go up to December 20th, when the winning division will be awarded through an online voting platform.
Among the key areas to be considered in determining the winning division are weekly cleanups, the clearing of dumping sites created with communities, solid waste sorting among communities, tree planting, among others.
Zalwango urged the people of Kawempe to take part in the challenge by sensitizing communities to keep their villages clean.
Julius Lule, the chairperson of Bubajjwe Cell, Bwaise I Parish, told Executive Director Buzeki that most landlords in his village do not have toilets or pits where water from bathrooms can be collected, which has led to dirty water flooding the area. Lule asked KCCA to construct public toilets in the area to cater for the increasing population.
Hajjat Sharifah Buzeki urged the people of Kawempe to promote responsible waste management by sorting waste for proper disposal.
Buzeki said the reason for cleaning drives in different parts of Kampala is to demonstrate to communities the need to change their attitude towards waste management, saying it is a personal responsibility to manage the waste they generate.
To improve the quality of waste for proper disposal, Buzeki said that the authority is implementing a two-bin system to help communities sort waste into organic and non-organic categories.
On the issue of toilets, the Executive Director said that KCCA has constructed 30 toilets distributed across the city, but they are still not enough, especially in informal settlements. Buzeki urged organisations to partner with the authority to build more toilets within Kawempe.
Additionally, responding to calls for a salary increment, Buzeki said she would lobby the government to increase the cleaners’ payments.
During the cleaning exercise, Buzeki, accompanied by her deputy Simon Kigenyi and the Kawempe Town Clerk, toured corridors of Bubajjwe Cell, where they had cleaned several areas.
Buzeki saw many rental houses where sewage was spilling into public spaces and asked the Town Clerk of Kawempe to take immediate action. She urged communities to stop creating illegal dumping sites and to manage their garbage.
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