KCCA tells LCs to enforce hygiene in their parishes

Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has expressed the need for Local Council leaders (LCs) to enforce hygiene and sanitation programs in their parishes in order to curb disease outbreaks.

Officials from the directorate of public health and environment, during an induction carried out with the LCs, told them that diseases like cholera and diarrhoea are a result of poor hygiene in their areas.

At the start of this year, there was cholera outbreak in Kampala in the areas of Makindye, Kalerwe and in the district of Mpigi.

The acting deputy director environment and sanitation, Dr Najib Lukooya, told the local leaders that they should ensure that residents in their communities have sensitisation meetings in which they encourage residents to construct latrines, hand washing facilities and areas where they can hang their utensils to dry.

"Once you find that a landlord does not have these facilities, there are bylaws which can be enforced upon the communities," Lukooya explained to the over 150 LCs who convened at the Imperial Royale Hotel.

He told the leaders that at the parish level, they should ensure that drainage channels in the communities are kept clean to avoid flooding and breeding areas for mosquitoes.

Lukooya added that KCCA has engaged other stakeholders in water and sanitation programs as a way on minimising the outbreaks.

"We have started on a campaign in the city, which target hygiene, by constructing latrines for the communities. The program known as Weyongye has been launched in all the divisions of Kampala," Lukooya said.

The local leaders on their part condemned KCCA technical staff from coming up with programs in their parishes without informing the LCs.

They said that KCCA has on several usual occasions come up with programs meant to benefit communities but leave out the LCs who could mobilised the residents.

"The city authorities should respect the views of the LCs since we know how many people need the services, before any implementation," Samuel Nkoyoyo, LC1 chairman of Kisenyi said.

"We have only three toilets is the civic centre which is a business area, but KCCA should inform us before they can think of setting up others," Hassan Magala who is attached to the Kisenyi Village Health Team.

The Kampala Central Mayor, Charles Sserunjogi, told KCCA that they should ensure that communities in Kampala have more toilets.

He added that it is the mandate of KCCA to ensure that homes, communities and public places have places of convenience.