Did Parliament sabotage KCCA on Kiteezi upgrade: Here are the facts

Editor’s summary

Do you know that there was a Kiteezi garbage slide in 2015? That’s when this problem started. For nine years, this problem has existed. Has KCCA addressed it? Yes! Feasibility studies were done and completed and presented for funding. Did the government respond. No!

Since 2019, KCCA has received only 25% of the budget required to manage garbage in the city. Every solution requires resources. It’s useless to have a solid waste management plan that you can not implement. It’s an unfunded priority. That is what parliament calls it. The hansard will show how many times KCCA has been before the parliament committees to beg for money for kiteezi.

KCCA has presented these figures to parliament every single year. The latest was January 2024. KCCA asked parliament, saying Kiteezi is a time bomb. Please release money for it. Parliament refused point blank! KCCA asked for 76 billion. What did parliament release? 10% of the required budget to cater for every garbage management issue in the city, including payments of sweepers, transportation of garbage, and maintenance of kiteezi. It’s pea nuts.

You are saying the ED was notified in July. Yes, and I immediately asked for the recommended interventions and the costs. But the financial year was closed. They was no money at all. KCCA informed the people in the area that meetings were held, and security was informed of the instability of the landfill.

Kiteezi is a problem Uganda has refused to resolve for nine years. Parliament turned a deaf ear, and they knew it. All the documentation shows that the parliament refused to support KCCA. Even the sweepers had to riot to get parliament to respond. KCCA needs money, not blame. You can blame the leaders all you want, but if you do not fund KCCA, no amount of PR will make the problems go away. Who is negligent in this issue? It’s the person who had the power to release the money for the last five years but refused to do so. Period.

As we speak, two investors are being fast tracked to launch a waste to energy plant. Kisaka wrote in the New Vision on 30th, July 2024, about this. Did anyone notice that? What KCCA need is fast tracking solutions that are viable instead of dilly dallying the licencing.

Kiteezi problem will not go away by blaming. Give KCCA the resources and give the licencing required immediately to the investors to work.