Moroto hotels, lodges closed for not having pit latrines

Moroto. Authorities in Moroto Municipal council have closed a number of restaurants, bars and hotels operating in the municipality due to poor hygiene, warning that the next step will be arrest of landlords.

Over 40 hotels, bars and restaurants were closed on Wednesday during a house to house operation mounted by the Moroto Town clerk Mr Isaiah Tumwesigye and the deputy resident district commissioner Moroto, Ms Proscovia Acham.
Mr Tumwesigye said they had given warning letters to all the closed places, asking them to improve on their hygiene but they paid a deaf ear.

He said Moroto Municipal council has declared every Wednesday as a day for general cleaning of the town with a move to improve on the hygiene and sanitation of the town.
“It’s only Moroto Municipality where you can get a big number of landlords without pit latrines; it’s a shame,” he said.

According to the list generated by the office of the town clerk Moroto, there are 200 landlords whose buildings do not have pit latrines, forcing their tenants to go and answer the call of nature in the river and streams.
He promised that the closed hotels, restaurants and bars will be allowed to operate after they improve on their hygiene situation.

Ms Acham said the owners of the closed business places will pay a fine of not less than Shs100,000 should they be got operating without minimum standards.
“All the outlets closed today have poor service delivery systems and customer care, while others do not meet the minimum sanitation standards,” she said.

Mr Rews Andrew Ilukol the Moroto District health director said lack of law enforcement was the cause of poor hygiene and sanitation in Moroto District including the municipality.
“Imagine Moroto District which is a mother of other eight districts that constitute Karamoja region has been ranked the lowest in terms of latrine coverage, which stands at 10.3 per cent,” he said.