Locals, Priests gang up against Mbarara City bosses over dead bodies at Kenkombe 

Amos Tayebwa

Mbarara

Locals and religious Leaders led by Ven. Rev. Patric Atuhaire, the Archdeacon of Greater Mbarara Archdeconary  have cursed the Leadership of Mbarara City Council for illegally buried unclaimed dead bodies at Kenkombe garbage dumping site in Rwemigina ward Mbarara City North in Mbarara City.

Residents have staged a demonstration at Kenkombe dumping site against the decision of Mbarara City Council Leadership for turning Kenkombe land into a temporary cemetry.

At the beginning of this week, a group of people from Mbarara City Council sneaked into Kenkombe dumping site with a Lorry full of dead bodies totalling to 30. Bodies were buried in Kenkombe a few meters away from St. Luke Kaburangire Church of Uganda in Rwemigina ward where the dumping site starts from.

Robert Twiine, Councilor representing Rwemigina ward in Mbarara City North Division accuses Mbarara City Council Leaders led by the Mayor Robert Kakyebezi and the Town Clerk Assy Abireebe that the decision they made to bury the dead bodies in Kenkombe was wrong and a grave mistake. He further threatened that the residents are already tired of the garbage, therefore they will not allow the City Council to turn the same land into a cemetery.

Twiine on behalf of the residents elaborates that communities of Rwemigina, Bunusya, Rwentondo and Koranorya have always fought with Mbarara City Council over garbage mismanagement at Kenkombe garbage dumping site. He said that the City Council failed to control the Service providers on how they are supposed to dispose of the garbage at the area gazetted for garbage, this carelessness has actually put the church at risk where the garbage is almost dumped in the Church premises, something that has been condemned by the Church leaders and the residents.

Francis Kambamu, the LC2 Chairman Bunusya ward has threatened that he is set to report a case to the police against Mayor Kakyebezi and Town Clerk Abireebe for the illegal decision made to put dead bodies in Kenkombe.

“These people neither consulted us nor informed the police about their move of burying the dead bodies in this land, we want the City Town clerk to come and explain to us how they came up with the decision without a council resolution” Kambamu, LC2 Chairman Bunusya ward

The Archdeacon of Greater Mbarara, Atuhaire has also accused the leadership of Mbarara City Council for using Kenkombe Land as part of the cemetery. Atuhaire said that Christians at St. Luke Kabaurangire COU have for a very long time decried the mismanagement of garbage at Kenkombe. Atuhaire reveals that it is an evil decision by council leaders to again add dead bodies on top of mismanaged garbage to the community of Rwentondo and other surrounding areas .

“As a Church, one time we failed to feed our Lord Bishop Sheldon Mwesigwa when he had come to visit us at this Church St. Luke Kaburangire, this was because of  the garbage that was dispersed all over the area. Now they have brought the dead bodies to the same area, we are afraid that our christians are going to stop coming to this church because of the unsafe environment. I appeal to our leaders to stop doing such things intentionally, get some other area where you can bury unclaimed dead bodies but not at Kenkombe where you have even failed to manage the garbage” said Archdeacon  Atuhaire

Locals have also threatened to take Mbarara City Council to court if this matter is not properly resolved.