Kampala garbage collectors increase fees after closure of Kiteezi landfill

As Kampala grapples with the disposal of waste, residents and businesses are bearing the brunt of rising garbage collection costs.

Business owners in the city have raised concern over the rising garbage collection fees from private companies, with some charges doubling and causing financial strain on their operations.

Currently garbage collectors charge between Shs5,000 and Shs25,000 per month depending on the amount of garbage. Previously they were charging between Shs2,000 and Shs10,000 for the same.

Ms Sarah Nanyonjo, who owns a business on Burton Street, says: “The cost of garbage collection has doubled lately. The increased costs are eating into my profits, and it's a huge expense for my business, especially during these tough economic times.”

She adds: “I used to pay Shs2,000 weekly to door-to-door garbage collectors to dispose of my rubbish, as paying daily would have been too expensive. However, I now pay Shs5,000 because of issues with illegal dumping sites.”

Mr David Ssebuguzi, a restaurant operator near the Old Taxi Park, says: “We can barely afford some basic needs like water, let alone pay for garbage collection because a filthy environment cannot attract customers.”

“We need a sustainable solution to this problem because now we are at risk of contracting cholera and other hygiene-related diseases. We seriously need help because garbage is almost everywhere on the streets,” Mr Ssebuguzi adds.

Mr Gerald Owonda, the Nakawa Market master, says private companies have taken over the role of waste collection and are charging traders exorbitant fees.

“KCCA is responsible for all markets as directed by the President, and we do not charge any fees. Currently, we are taking waste to Katigoro in Mukono, a site designated for green waste composting,” Mr Owonda said.

He adds: “However, tenants from Nabugabo sometimes dump unsorted waste in our areas, which undermines our efforts to maintain a clean city.”

The issue is primarily attributed to the closure of the Kiteezi landfill which forced private waste collectors to find alternative disposal sites, often located further away. 

This has increased their operational costs, which are now being passed on to consumers, resulting in higher garbage collection fees.

The Kiteezi landfill was closed after its collapse in August, which claimed the lives of over 20 people and displaced many others. Since then, the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has faced significant challenges in managing waste, as access to alternative landfills in areas like Entebbe, Nansana, and Mukono has been denied.

Mr Moses Ssebunya, a waste collector at City Mall building and Ham Shopping Mall, says they incur a lot of fuel costs in search of alternative disposal sites.

“After the collapse of Kiteezi, waste management became too expensive to find alternativedisposal sites, often at higher costs, which caused the fees to surge,” he says.

“The rising costs of fuel and maintenance have made it difficult for us to operate. Sometimes we drive to Ntebe and get bounced, meaning we have to use more fuel to look for another place where we are not even guaranteed that they will allow us,” he adds.

Mr Hamza Nyondo, the managing director of Nabugabo Up-deal Joint Venture, a private waste management company, says despite the challenging economic conditions, the company continues to offer its services at competitive rates within the industry.

“The costs vary depending on the rubbish quantity and we are still keeping them at a reasonable cost but we can all agree that garbage is expensive because we find a lot of difficulty to dispose of the waste ever since the Kiteezi saga,” Mr Nyondo explains.

He adds: “People need sensitisation on how to store rubbish, to know the worth of the money they pay. It is not free money because we are saving them from contracting a lot of diseases like cholera. We basically incur a lot of expenses.”

Mr Nyondo says many of their trucks have been left parked by the roadside for days, unable to collect rubbish due to a lack of fuel and insufficient maintenance funds.

Government reaction

However, the State minister for Kampala and Metropolitan Affairs, Mr Kabuye Kyofatogabye, has urged Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) to stop engaging in blame games over the city’s waste management issues. He says private companies have taken over waste collection in Kampala and are charging residents for services that KCCA has been unable to deliver. “Land purchase is not within Nabugabo’s mandate.

Whoever is blaming it is just avoiding their responsibility. Let them wake up and do their job. If they can’t, they have two options: resign and go home or stay silent until death separates them from their duties,” Mr Kyofatogabye says.

He adds: “Nabugabo has virtually shouldered KCCA’s responsibilities and the burden throughout. Despite everything going on, they are the only ones stepping in. Unfortunately, KCCA has failed to play its role.” Efforts to get a comment from KCCA were futile by press time as reporters failed to reach officials from relevant departments.