New Rotary project to improve waste management in Kyaka II

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Two decades after Kyegegwa district started hosting refugees, trading centres in Mpara, Kabweza, and Kyegegwa sub-counties have fallen to environmental degradation threats. 

This round, rising from poor waste management, is more dangerous than deforestation.

Well, this is becoming a nightmare for thousands of refugees and members of host communities in Kyaka II Refugee Settlement whose lives are at risk of diseases due to non-existing collection systems to ineffective disposal, causing soil contamination, water and air pollution. 

According to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) data of 2024, the settlement that was established in 2003 hosts 13O,513 refugees from Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and Rwanda with 551,900 members of host communities.

Authorities in the settlement say the amount of waste collected in the area is not measured in metric tons, however, in each centre per week, five to seven trips of tippers are collected with plastics being the most dumped waste.

Abdul Nuru, the assistant settlement Commandant Kyaka II Refugee Settlement who doubles as the WASH focal person explained that the people in the settlement do not know much about proper waste disposal, faulting this the littered streets in the area.

He said despite having some volunteer community groups collecting waste, the settlement continues to face proper waste management issues.  

Nuru noted that the existing groups lack support in terms of adequate equipment and knowledge to do their work effectively.

“The groups collect waste without sorting and it at Bwiriza dumping site risking the ecosystem of the area as well as losing out on the economic benefits that come with recycling,” he said.

The assistant commandant said as a result, the wastes poorly disposed of along roads and other corners in the communities become breeding grounds for mosquitos, increasing the risk of malaria cases among the population and putting a heavier expenditure on government resources.

Refugees and Rotarians look at the process of making briquettes from waste. This was during the launch of the Solid Waste Management and Recycling Project in Kyaka II refugee settlement on July 12, 2024. (Credit: Lawrence Mulondo)

Relief 

To help refugees and members of host communities enforce proper solid waste management in the settlement and host communities, the Rotary Club of Kampala South in District 9213 has launched a Sh340m global grant Solid Waste Management and Recycling project in the settlement. 

The one-year project was designed in partnership with the Rotaract Club of Kampala South and Rotary Club of Rheinfelden-Fricktal District 1980 among other clubs and partners.

While addressing during the project launch in Kyaka II refugee settlement Kyegegwa district on Friday, Rotarian Samuel Ssewagudde, the president of the Rotary Club of Kampala South explained that the project is in line with caring for the environment, one of the Rotary International pillars.

The club president added that the project will involve training communities on proper waste sorting and disposal as well as how they can add value to the waste to improve their livelihood. 

Ssewagudde noted that under the project, they will mobilize community members into groups that they will equip with the necessary knowledge and equipment to have them as trainers for other members of their communities for a multiplier effect of the project. 

“The project is to focus on enhancing the capacity and competencies of community groups through training them in group dynamics, record keeping and effective community engagement skills among other skills,” he said.

To help communities enforce proper solid waste management, the club donated items including four tricycles to help collect wastes from communities to a proper recycling plant.

Other items donated included Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) like gloves, gum boots, wheelbarrows, spades, and folks, among others.

Rotarian Emmanuel Mukwenda Mugisa the project's primary contact emphasized that the project aims at enhancing appropriate solid waste management by applying the Reduce, Reuse and Recycle (3Rs) principle in all trading centres.

“The project will establish and create linkages between community groups and business entrepreneurs in sustainable solid waste management,” he added.

Mugisa noted that with the same project, they want to promote household-level appropriate management of solid waste through sorting and use of household-level rubbish pits. 

To achieve the project objectives, Rotary has partnered with Adapt + a non-government organization in the settlement with a training ground to train beneficiaries in recycling collected waste into valuables. 

David Kintu Nkwanga the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ADAPT + explained that the poor disposal of waste in trading centres contributes to conflict between business operators and those that dump hips of waste anywhere.

Nkwanga said in the project they will be coordinating and training community groups to manage waste collection as an enterprise that helps them generate income.

Beneficiaries will be trained in recycling waste into items like cooking energy (briquettes), crafts, and manure, among others and other related activities which they can carry out alongside waste management like backyard gardening.

Edisa Nyirere (extreme R), a Congolese refugee in Kyaka II Refugee Settlement shows some of the Rotarians briquettes as one of the products processed from waste. This was during the launch of the Solid Waste Management and Recycling Project in Kyaka II refugee settlement on July 12, 2024. (Credit: Lawrence Mulondo)

The CEO noted that they are to emphasize having youth on board since they make up the biggest percentage of the population but also have the strength to address poor waste disposal problems.

What leaders say

Mariana Masiri the vice chairperson Refugee Welfare Council (RWC) for Bukerea said they are hopeful that the project will achieve environmental protection and mass economic activities.

Masiri thanked Uganda for opening its doors for them to seek refuge and going the extra mile to see that they are safe with security, water food, medicine and other necessities.

“Now that we are going skills in solid management waste, we hope to earn some money to supplement the support we get and in the future move to self-sustainability,” she said.

Gift Amani the RWC II for Itamba biniga called for more effective sensitization of people starting with children in schools if the settlement is to reduce poor disposal of waste.

“Children can influence not only people in their homes but also those in other communities to adopt proper waste disposal cultures,” he said.