USAFI market traders continue to cry over the increasing heap of garbage, which they say has scared away many customers and caused them business losses.
While speaking to Alice Nantongo, a restaurant owner said, while at her restaurant in Usafi Market on October 19, 2024, that the garbage heaps continued to increase yet they keep paying money for garbage collection.
“Everyone of us here operating in the market has paid money for garbage collection, but the garbage continues to pile, and the stench is scaring away our customers since no one wants to eat food in a dirty environment,” she said.
Read Also: Kyambogo Residents Opt for Open Dumping of Garbage after Kiteezi Saga
She also warned of a likelihood of disease breakouts such as cholera, diarrhea, and others due to poor hygiene.
“We are living on God’s mercy; otherwise, soon we shall have people falling sick of diseases due to the poor hygiene. Even when we, the restaurant owners, are very clean, the environment around us is dirty, and no one is safe,” Nantongo added.
Kasule Ibrahim, a KCCA garbage collector, said that they try to pile the rubbish in one place, but the vehicles to take the rubbish take long to collect it, thus the reason for the big heaps of garbage.
“Before, we used to take three, four, or five trips a week, but now we only take one trip, and if they are lucky, two trips a week,” Kasule said.
Read Also: Ex-KCCA Bosses Remanded over Manslaughter
He further noted that the cost of transporting garbage has increased since the distance to dump rubbish has also increased.
“Before, we used to dump garbage in Kiteezi, and now, after its closure, we are dumping our garbage in Katikolo in Mukono district, which is far, and we can’t do the usual routes we used to do because of the distance and the cost implication, Kasule added.
After the Kiteezi landfill disaster on August 10, 2024, the site was decommissioned recently by the government, and KCCA was temporarily allowed to drop its garbage in Nkumba, after which they shifted to their site in Katikolo in Mukono district, which is over 35 km from Kampala compared to the Kiteezi site, which was only 13 km from the city center.
Read Also: Embattled Ex-KCCA Bosses Appear in Court over Kiteezi Landfill Saga
The challenge of garbage collection is not only limited to the USAFI market, but many other markets around the city still face a big challenge of garbage heaps, which not only cause business losses but also pause a big health threat.
The USAFI market is found in Katwe, Makindye West division under MP Allan Ssewanyana and Makindye Mayor Ali Nganda Mulyanyama, and remains one of the busiest markets under KCCA.
