Kabale seeks Shs500m for garbage site, cemetery

Kabale Municipal Council is looking for Shs500m to purchase a piece of land that will serve as a cemetery for unclaimed bodies and a garbage collection centre as the urban authority gears up for city status.

The mayor, Mr Sentaro Byamugisha, said the current garbage collecting centre on Kirengyere Hill is no longer sufficient to accommodate hundreds of tonnes of waste generated in the municipality every month.

He explained that the municipal cemetery at Mwanjari in Southern Division was turned into a business centre after the remains of the dead were relocated to Kirengyere next to a garbage collecting centre.
He said the two projects are in preparation for city status.

In April 2020, Parliament approved the creation of 15 new cities in a phased manner.
Those created in the first phase were Jinja, Mbarara, Gulu, Mbale, Arua, Fort Portal, and Masaka. The second phase had Hoima, Lira, Soroti, and Entebbe while those in the last cluster are Moroto, Nakasongola, Kabale, and Wakiso.

“As we prepare for the city status scheduled for next year, the amount of money needed shall be captured in the next financial year’s budget for possible funding from the central government,” Mr Byamugisha said.

The mayor also revealed that they will start implementing the resolution of a Shs500 fee imposed on each resident for any amount of waste collected from a home or business unit by the municipal truck. He said the fee would save the council from the financial burden of collecting garbage, which he put at Shs100m per quarter.

“We have identified pieces of land in the neighbouring sub-counties of Kyanamira, Kahoro, and Kitumba as negotiations between the municipal council authorities and the land owners go on. The moment we get the money, we shall buy the most suitable piece of land to serve the intended purpose,” he added.

Last year, the municipal senior environment officer, Mr Alfred Ahimbisibwe, said of the 3,000 tonnes of solid waste annually generated in the area, only 2,252 tonnes are collected because of limited funds and poor attitude of community members.

But the LCIII chairman for Central Division, Mr Sam Arineitwe, said there is a need for the municipal council to construct its own mortuary to reduce congestion at the one owned by Kabale Regional Referral Hospital. He said the municipal authority should educate the public on utilising the garbage to feed domestic animals.

“We need to sensitise the community on venturing into the commercial production of manure from the degradable waste and using it to feed domestic animals especially dairy cows,” Mr Arineitwe said.