Support KCCA’s effort in managing waste disposal

On November 19, Uganda joined the rest of the world to celebrate World Toilet Day. This day is celebrated annually, where stakeholders raise awareness of the more than 2.4 billion people living without access to safely managed sanitation. 

The theme for this year was “Sustainable sanitation and climate change”. Safe management of fecal sludge is key to improving sanitation, as well as protect our environment. 

This theme fits well with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal Six, which seeks to achieve adequate sanitation for all and put an end to open defecation by 2030. 

A ‘safely managed sanitation service’ is a hygienic, private toilet that safely disposes of human waste. 

Kampala is faced with challenges such as rapid urbanisation, low sewer network coverage,  and 90 per cent of the population depend on onsite sanitation most of which is not considered improved. 

The backlog at household level is further aggravated by increased influx of the transient and migrant population. 

The existing public toilets managed by Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) are limited compared to the demand by the rapidly growing population.

Another challenge is the safe handling of fecal sludge from the onsite facilities. 

It is estimated that only half of the fecal waste generated daily in Kampala is emptied from the pit latrines and safely disposed of.
To ensure the safe transportation of fecal sludge, KCCA has employed two toilet emptying methods across the city; suction by vacuum trucks and gulping.

The choice of method depends on the accessibility of the toilet facility, nature of sludge (fluid, semisolid or solid), affordability by the landlord, and technology of the toilet facility (lined or unlined).

KCCA has also adopted a city-wide inclusive sanitation (CWIS) approach to upscale safe fecal sludge management through strategic and catalytic investments that will strengthen the regulatory environment and increase access to improved onsite sanitation Services (OSS).

This approach will also provide equitable and inclusive sanitation services targeting gender, underserved urban poor households, public institutions, and the increasing transient population, including refugee communities; and deliver integrated sanitation services.

Over the past four years, tremendous progress has been made under this approach. Some of the achievements include, but not limited to; increased safe fecal sludge collection from 54 per cent in 2015 to 61 per cent in 2019. 

There has also been establishment of CWIS steering and technical committees coordinating all sanitation stakeholders, popularising of KCCA Sewerage and FSM Ordinance, which focuses on streamlining roles, increasing sewer connections, promotion of minimum standards and regulation of service. 

Others are; authoring and popularising of minimum standards for onsite sanitation to provide for minimum requirements for onsite sanitation, training of pit emptying operators to enable them  acquire National Environment Management Authority operating licenses, establishing guidelines and putting in place standard operating procedures to enable the private sector provide services to the community and hence increased livelihood opportunities, among others. 

KCCA has also managed to engage and sensitise communities through community meetings / Barazas, monthly community clean-ups, door to door campaigns, schools cleaning campaigns and leadership forums. 

In its five-year strategic plan (2020-2025), KCCA will construct 200 public toilets across the city and further increase safely managed feacal sludge from 60 per cent to 80 per cent by 2025 and eliminate open defecation.

Mr Peter Tumuhaise  is a sanitation engineer in the directorate of public health services and environment at KCCA.