Kawempe landlords receive sh2.1b to fight open defecation

PIC: Eng Mutwalib training some of the land lords on sanitation in Kyebando, Kampala.

(Credit: Agnes Nantambi)  

HEALTH SANITATION

KAMPALA- Residents of Kawempe within the 98 zones of the division have received support worth sh2.1b to help them fight against cholera and other water borne diseases through construction of improved toilets.

The support provided under a joint venture between KCCA, AMREF, RAIN and Centenary Bank, is being provided under a two-year funded project code-named Replenish Africa Initiative with funding from the coca cola foundation.

Speaking during the training at St Paul's Church Kyebando, Eng Waludde Mutwalib, the AMREF project manager, said landlords are partly responsible for the sanitation of their tenants through provision of sanitation equipment.

He said following the different disease outbreaks within Kampala, AMREF felt concerned about the lives lost to such diseases which prompted it to compete for a grant from the coca cola foundation of which Uganda and other three countries succeeded in getting the grants.

 "The focus of this project is improving sanitation conditions within Kawempe with an aim of eliminating open defecation in all zones.

The second component is empowerment of women and youth groups to improve their economy through investment in income-generating activities that are focused on environment," he said.

He said the project mostly targets the land lords since most of the residents stay in rented places, yet most of the landlords overlook the importance of having good sanitation.

"These land lords also have limited information on appropriate technology that can work, for example the communities in low lying areas use inappropriate technology which leads to poor sanitation which exposes the population to diseases such as cholera, typhoid, dysentery and diarrhoea among others.

He said the project will also work towards improving the local economy of the population since most of them depend on survival jobs.

"We need to guide them on how to manage their businesses and also give them venture capital to enable them try out and see which business they can do, "he said.

He described the construction structures as poor in nature with no plan since most landlords mind about money and forget about tenants.

"As AMREF, we are giving them designs of technology multiple options to help them choose from according to their financial ability. We are also ensuring that KCCA engineering department ensures approved plans for the toilets and those without money get simple loans from centenary bank to build better toilets and also beautify their houses to make them attractive to the tenants," he said.     

Abdu Kyanika Nsibambi the loans manager at Centenary Bank, said the partnership with Amref and KCCA will promote hygiene and also reduce diseases.

"We already have products for such purposes such as a home improvement loan which helps people to renovate their houses, construct latrines to put them in a very habitable manner.

"We want this to be rolled to all the land lords within Kawempe so that they become compliant to KCCA to avoid their houses being demolished," he said.  

Grace Ajero, the Kawempe division health inspector, said the partnership will greatly help KCCA in implementing sanitation measures.

She observed that since the partnership involves training of masons and giving loans for construction of toilets and beautifying houses with appropriate technology. This will greatly promote sanitation at the same time increase incomes.

Henry Walakira, the councillor representing Kyebando West, observed that some landlords are careless and always mindful of their houses as a business, but forget about the tenants who pay them money.