Kumi has no town planner

trueIn the Make Uganda Clean campaign, Vision Group will be profi ling major urban centres in the country highlighting their sanitation situation, culminating into a gala night on November 25, where the cleanest towns will be recognised. Today we bring you profiles of Kumi town and Makindye division

It is unbelievable that Kumi, which attained town status 38 years ago, and currently has an estimated population of 12,740, does not have a town planner, lands officer and town engineer. Additionally the town has only two health inspectors creating an abnormal ratio of 6,371 people per inspector.

A stroll in Kumi town inevitably presents the reality of loitering animals, mistaking the town for a grazing fi eld so much that motorists have to slow down for the animals to cross the road.

Kumi, which started as a colonial administrative centre and later established itself as a commercial centre with the arrival of Asians and the building of the railway line in 1928, attained town council status 38 years ago. It is comprised of four wards; Kanyumu, Boma, Bazaar and Tank.

According to the town clerk, Angella Akurut, loitering animals, is one of the challenges of the town and that plans are under way to solve it.

“We acknowledge the problem of loitering animals in the town, which consistently litter our town. It is a big challenge to us, but we are working hard to end it,” she says.

Akurut’s observation corroborates findings of a survey done by Vision Group in which majority of the respondents (83%) reported having seen loitering livestock/poultry in the town in the past six months, with cows  ranking highest (83%), goats (62%). Such a high presence of animals and their droppings is an impediment to the town’s sanitation drive, earning it a less than half score of 4.9/10.

Despite that, the town, with an estimated population of 12,742, seems to be on the path to better cleanliness levels in the streets/roads and market areas, as acknowledged by 97% of the respondents, with 72% saying it is cleaned daily, earning a satisfaction score of 6.6/10.

Kumi has a wide presence of dustbins according to 93% of the respondents, garnering a score of 5.2/10. More than half of the respondents (59%) say dustbins are on the street/roads, market areas (41%) and majority (69%) say accessing them is easy.

For instance, although 86% of the respondents consider the town clean, 79% reveal they have ever seen someone litter the town in the past three months. Only 28% of the respondents report having avoided littering. A marginal proportion (28%) have contributed to the town’s clean up exercises.

Similarly, a very small percentage (7%) of the respondents avoided pollution activities like burning and only 17% have sensitised other people about cleanliness, leaving a lot to be desired on the sanitation and hygiene consciousness of the town residents.

Of the over sh800m budget for this fi nancial year, sh55m (about 7% of the budget), is allocated to cleaning and garbage collection. “We have allocated that money in four parts; homestead cleaning, garbage collection, maintenance of public grounds and ashpits.

However, garbage collection takes a lion’s share of about sh36m,” Akurut explains. The town has one health centre IV. Children share a ward with male patients due to lack of space. Electricity on which Kumi depends for lighting is widely spread, according to 100% of the respondents.

Eightytwo percent of the respondents have ever seen street lights in working condition. A lower proportion (14%) reports absence of street lights in the town and 38% note that though available; they are dysfunctional, differing from 62% who feel the streets are well-lit and safe at night.

“Majority of the respondents reported that the roads are partially tarmacked (76%), 21% levelled ground and 3% mainly tarmacked. There are averagely few potholes scoring 4.6/10. The town survives on borehole supplemented by protected springs, wells, public tap and piped water.

The Tap water supply is said to be very irregular and averagely clean. Alice Akiai, the senior health inspector, says water supply is not enough for the population and according to Omaido it is worse in the dry season where a 20-litre jerrycan costs sh1,500, which is not affordable for many. Noise pollution is also a challenge in the town.

Ten percent of the respondents reported that there is no noise control programme in the town and majority (89%) acknowledge the town is moderately noisy.

They say the main causes of noise are boda boda riders (69%), motor vehicles (41%) and traders (41%). Kumi is free from the challenges of sewage bursts since there is no central sewerage system and similarly, although it has a high presence of public toilets, as reported by 86% of respondents, the toilets are accessible at an average cost of sh199. They are relatively dirty, thus score of 4.7/10.

The town has low overgrown grass according to 38% of the respondents and its maintenance levels is rated averagely good, thus a score of 5.2/10.

Seventeen percent of the respondents reported the existence of gardens which are planted and averagely wellmaintained, giving the town a score of 5.2/10. Kumi, which has 17 primary schools and fi ve secondary schools, has the lowest crime rate. For instance, although there is robbery, murder and assaults, only 7% of the respondents have been subjected to a form of crime in the town

Mayor's view

Mayor Stephen Omaido, says they are seeking guidance from the town lawyer on how to deal with those whose animals
loiter in town. They also intend to auction impounded animals or levy a sh20,000 fi ne.

Good practices

Omaido says that they are planning to involve the council staff in cleaning the town as it was in the past. The town council has bought four acres of land for dumping garbage. Thirty-six ashpits where people in the town dump garbage were bought. A tractor collects and dumps garbage at the land a short distance away from the town.

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MAKINDYE DIVISION: A true definition of two extremes

By Watuwa Timbiti and Andrew Masinde

Makindye division is a mix of affluence and squalor. It houses the plush residential suburbs of Muyenga, Kansanga, Kabalagala, Buziga, Bunga, Ggaba and Munyunyo. It also hosts the palatial Speke Resort Munyonyo, the AmericanEmbassy, the Catholic Secretariat, Nsambya, the biggest police barracks in the country as well as the headquarters of the military police.

Amidst these affluence, Makindye is also dotted with rusty-roofed tenements in places such as Kisugu, Namuwongo, Wabigalo, Kibuli, Kikubamutwe, Kabalagala, Nsambya Central, Katwe, Kibuye, which have
serious sanitation challenges, such as, insufficient toilets.

Consequently, sewage and garbage end up in the drainage system, blocking it quite often, posing a health threat. Despite the above, the majority of Makindye of the residents are happy with the efforts being made to improve sanitation. Up to 91% of the respondents reported availability of cleaning schedules for the division, according to a Vision Group survey. “Sixty-two percent reported that the division is cleaned daily and an additional 27%, said it is cleaned two to three times a week,” the survey revealed.

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Buildings along Muyenga - Kabalagala Road in Makindye division. Photos by Wilfred Sanya

The residents also reported satisfaction with the cleanliness of the division, earning it a score of 7.6/10 and for dustbins they scored 5.9/10.

However, slightly more than half of dustbins are reported to be on the streets/roads, less than half in other places such as individual shops and only 47% of the respondents said the dustbins are easy to locate in the division.

Despite these efforts, 47% of the respondents have ever seen someone litter the division in the past three months and though 58% reported having personally avoided littering.

Ironically, only 16% have participated in the clean-up exercise in the division, only 9% avoided pollution activities like burning, 9% have sensitised people about cleanliness and 7% percent have done nothing to improve Makindye’s cleanliness.

The mayor Ian Clarke, says the division spends an estimated sh480m on sanitation annually and has eight garbage collection trucks. With only eight trucks and an estimated population of 460,000, it means one truck serves up to 57,500 posing a garbage collection challenge.

Gazetted in 1920s as a residential area for the British colonial administrators, Makindye relies on electricity as the main source of lighting. However, only 53% of the respondents have ever seen street lights in working condition while 44% said they have never seen street lights in the division.

At least 38% of the respondents reported the streets as not well-lit and therefore, unsafe at night.

 Majority say 44% of the roads are partially tarmacked, 41% mainly tarmacked and 9% said it is levelled ground. Potholes are many scoring the division 5.9/10.

This partly explains the dust and siltation in the division. On making the roads better, the town clerk, Theophilius Tibihika, says although their plan is to tarmack the roads and carry out regular maintenance, fi nances are limited, adding that sometimes funding from Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) delays.

 Although a larger part of the division is squalid, water accessibility and availability is good; piped water is at 62% in residences and the public taps at 35% as main sources of water.

 The water is reported to be regular and clean, scoring 9.1/10 and 8.8/10, respectively. Seven percent of the respondents said the division has a noise control programme, more than half of them feel division is less noisy, attributing common noise to motor vehicles, taxi operators, boda boda riders, prayers and traders.

Although animals/poultry loiter in the division, it is on a low scale. Only 32% have ever seen animals/ poultry loitering in the division in the past six months. The division scores only 3.7/10 for sewer maintenance. However, only 27% reported having seen sewerage bursts and the response to fix the problem is said to be slow.

 “Thirty-eight percent had ever seen open soak pits/manholes in the division and were open for at least three months.” More than half of the respondents (56%) are aware of public toilets in the division. It cost them an average of sh190 to use the public toilets, but most of them are said to be dirty, attracting a poor score of 3.9/10. Only 7% have noticed overgrown grass in the division and the maintenance rated as average, scoring 5.5/10. However, only 35% reported existence of gardens/planted trees, and scores 6.0/10 on their maintenance.

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Squalid structures near a dumping site in Embassy Zone

The division is devising means to keep sewage out of the slums. They have tried to work on all the sewerage systems, improved latrines in all areas, but residents still irresponsible.

Although the division plans to tarmack the roads and carry out regular maintenance, they are faced with fi nancial constraints.

The division, which has only three government health centres for a population of 460,000 (1:153333 ratio) and many privately owned clinics. It has 80 government-aided schools both primary and secondary school and 220 private schools both secondary and primary schools.

To fi nance its activities, Tibihika, says Makindye depends on central government grants plus income generated from trading licence fees, property tax and local service tax. Fishing, farming, fi nancial services, industrial manufacturing, among others, are the economic activities in the division.

Mayor's viewtrue

Mayor Ian Clarke (right) said there are plans to institute rules that will implicate those who dump rubbish in the town. He noted that unplanned settlements in the slums make garbage collection diffi cult

Winning formula

The division employs people who sweep  the streets daily and also open drainage channels. They also have people who slash the open areas.

They have worked on sewerage systems and improved latrines in all areas. They spend up to sh480m annually on garbage collection.

The division has eight garbage trucks and are planning to acquire more.