Kayunga leaders close  42 shops over lack of toilets

Authorities in Kayunga Town Council have started closing shops that lack proper sanitary facilities.

By Wednesday last week, a total of 42 shops in Kayunga North Ward had been closed.

Ms Faridah Kulabako, the town clerk, said some of the affected shops had filled up toilets.

“They [business owners]  have to re-empty the toilets, and provide water since they are water-borne facilities. They should also provide rubbish bins to all the shops,” Ms Kulabako said last week.

Most of the closed shops sell food.

Ms Kulabako added that before conducting the operation, they had written letters to the landlords asking them to establish the required sanitary facilities, but they refused to take heed.

“We have no other option, but to close them since they have been posing a health risk to the lives of the tenants and other town dwellers,” the town clerk said.

Ms Rodha Nakyobe, the town health inspector, said they have given landlords two weeks to put in place the sanitary facilities failure of which they would be sued.

She also warned other landlords whose houses have not yet been closed to ensure cleanliness.

Ms Kulabako also said owners of commercial houses with unpaved yards should pave them within two months or risk closure.

She, however, said the directive to all developers to construct storeyed buildings had been paused due to the current economic hardships.

Five years ago, town authorities announced that they had stopped developers from erecting structures that don’t conform to urban standards and banned construction of new pit-latrines to promote toilets with clear sewerage systems.

Despite this ban, many residents in the town still use pit latrines, claiming that they do not have money to construct water-borne sanitation facilities.

On average, a water-borne toilet facility can cost Shs4m, which covers purchasing a water tank, digging a soak pit, and a piped system, among others.

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