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HOIMA - The business community and residents of Hoima have demanded city authorities enforce the construction of sanitary facilities by landlords to address the challenge of poor sanitation.

Patrick Busobozi, a resident of Ruyanja and businessman operating on Bunyoro Kitara Road says the sanitation in the city centre is worrying.

He says there is a growing habit of landlords connecting their pit latrines and toilets to the drainage channels within the town.

According to him, this challenge has left the business city center stinking because of the sewage oozing into the drainage channels.

According to him, the roads that are always stinking because of sewage in the channels are Bunyoro Kitara, Parssy, and Bujumbura, among others. He has, therefore urged the authorities to alert the residents about the danger that lurks in living in such an environment.   

Godfrey Kutegeka, another resident who operates his business at Hoima Central Market, expressed concern that several business buildings lack latrines.

He notes that because of this challenge, some people defecate in polythene bags and they dispose of their faeces in drainage channels.

Kutegeka said there is a need for the authorities to intervene and enforce sanitation laws to ensure that landlords put in place sanitary facilities.

He added that if this situation challenge continues, some areas are going to face an outbreak of cholera and typhoid.

Authorities give landlords three-month notice

Deputy Mayor Sylvia Nalumaga Baryesima admitted that, indeed, there is a sanitation challenge the city is facing.

She noted that that recently, the city health department carried sanitation and hygiene monitoring and found out that several landlords had opened their sanitary facilities and connected them to the drainage channels that were installed as the roads were being tarmacked.

According to her, the Hoima City Council last month wrote to all landlords ordering them to disconnect the sanitary facilities from the channels and those with latrines to construct them.

Baryesima added that they also ordered landlords who have been closing latrines and leaving their tenant suffering and defecating in polythene bags to stop this habit.

She explained that they have given the landlords three months to address the issue and those who will fail to adhere to the directive will face the wrath of the law.

Residents faulted

The mayor also expressed concerns about non-compliance by the residents in regard to maintaining sanitation of their premises and that this has made it difficult for the city leaders to keep the city clean.

She noted that most of the business communities have a negative attitude and they think that they are not supposed to clean their business premises because they pay for trading licences and other revenues to the city.

These revelations were made during the general cleaning of the city organised by Bunyoro Kitara Diocese Mother's Union as one of the activities to mark the Holy Week that was led by the Rt. Rev. Bishop Samuel Kahuma.

Kahuma commended the members of Mother Union for the exercise saying cleanliness is next God and there is a need to embrace the spirit of ensuring good sanitation both at their business premises and their homes.

He also challenged the public to always have dustbins to avoid littering and disposing of wastes 'anyhow'.

The prelate said with good sanitation and hygiene, families will have good health adding that most of diseases affecting people are resulting in poor hygiene and sanitation.