Four traders arrested over protesting garbage collection fees

By Phillip Mwebaza

Police on Wednesday arrested four traders under the umbrella group of Kampala Arcade Traders Association (KATA) at Mini price after they attempted to march to Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) to meet the Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago over stopping private garbage collecting companies from collecting money from them.

This comes just a month after the Kampala Capital City Authority renewed contracts of three private concessionaires which include Nabugabo Updeal Join Venture, Homeklin Uganda Limited and Kampala Solid Waste Management Consortium. These three companies are responsible of managing 7 Solid Waste Management services zones in Kampala City.

KCCA spokesperson person Peter Kaujju said the private concessionaires are meant to collect garbage at a fee between 3,000 to 30,000 shillings and due to this, Kampala Arcade Traders Association (KATA) Chairperson Godfrey Katongole has come out to say KCCA should deduct some money from the property taxes and trading license money the traders pay in order to facilitate garbage collection fees.

Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Patrick Onyango revealed that KATA chairperson Godfrey Katongole, Tamale Fahad, Kubazibu Swaib and Kyabangyi Miriam are the four people that were arrested on charges of unlawful assembly and inciting violence. “We as police had not been notified about the movement since if they had notified us, we would have guided them about the routes to use without disrupting the work of other citizens working in the city Centre.”

The Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson referred to the movement from Nakivubo to city hall as illegal and thus it needed to be dealt with. “The law or constitution allows citizens to show they grievances through peaceful demonstrations but however after seeking permission from the authority which this group did not put in practice.” Onyango said.

However, the Kampala City Council Solid Waste Management Ordinance of 2000, mandates KCCA and its agents to ensure that solid waste in Kampala is collected and conveyed to treatment installations to satisfy both public health and environmental conservation requirements with the primary sources of municipal solid waste (MSW) generation are private households, transient population, market places, commerce, industry, public administration, kindergartens & schools and hospitals among others.