By Sadique Bamwita
Kampala
The Commissioner For Urban Administration at the Ministry of Local Government, Charles Magumba, has explained on how the proposed National waste management policy is likely to eradicate poor disposal of wastes and instead turn solid waste into a resource.
Magumba said following the Kitezi landfill tragedy which claimed people’s lives, cabinet directed the Ministry of Local Government together with other line ministries including , Ministry of works and Transport, Ministry of water and Environment to develop a National Waste Management Policy on how to manage waste in the country.
He also revealed that in the same way cabinet directed the Attorney General and the Minister for Local Government to develop ordinances and by-laws on management of wastes in cities across the country.
He said in response to the directive , the local Government has already developed a draft National waste policy framework, which is ready and apparently his ministry is working closely with the Ministry of Finance to secure a certificate of financial implication adding that the moment its obtained then his ministry will present the policy to Cabinet for approval.
Commissioner Magumba believes that the introduction of the National Cleaning Day, which is now in the second month clearly indicates how responsiveness the seating government is on matters regarding cleanliness.On this note, he lauded Premier Robinah Nabanjja for mobilizing Ugandans who have positively responded during the National Cleaning Day by participating willingly.
He is optimistic that the policy will guide local governments and other agencies on waste management. He reiterated that the policy is intended to turn waste into a valuable resource that will enhance people’s livelihoods.
” We should stop at looking at garbage as waste but instead look at as a valuable resource, ” Commissioner Magumba implored Ugandans.
Magumba broke down areas for policy implementation as follow;
Promotion of a circular economy -the ability to reuse waste and turn it into a resource.
Urban economy by creating a clean environment that will attract investments or investors in towns and cities .
Commissioner Magumba further said the circular economy emphasises 4Rs namely; Reuse, recycle, regeneration and refuse Kavera.
He said the National waste policy combines all wastes including; medical waste, building materials, surface run off water and Urban waste.
Concerning waste regeneration, Magumba said the key emphasis is on segregation of waste at at source so as to have only quality materials for those who want to recycle or reuse.
He appreciated management of Kampala Capital City Authority under the leadership of Hajat Sharifah Buzeki for holding weekly Weyonje clean-up exercise which emphasises separation of degradable wastes from non-degradable wastes.
Magumba said his ministry plans to establish regional waste centers across the country to eliminate the various dumpsites in different towns . He believes by doing so, this will greatly reduce unnecessary dumping especially in wetlands, and drainage channels which eventually lead to blockage.
Magumba further revealed that the National waste policy is private -led saying it involves the private sector which has the capacity to recycle . He believes that with establishment of regional centers the private sector will find it easy to find the waste they require.
Magumba also noted that the policy emphasizes the polutter pay principle ,which provides that whoever generates waste has to pay adding that this is already working in Kampala Capital City.
He said to make the policy fully operational, the local Government ministry intends to engage local manufacturers to deal with their suppliers to motivate boys who consume their products by offering them incentives for returning used packets. In the same vein, Magumba said the ministry intends to engage local governments to develop by-laws and ordinances which will help them to implement the policy.
In conclusion, Magumba said the government has come out aggressively to address the issue of waste management in the entire country.
On the other hand, Associate Prof. Charles Niwagaba who heads the College of Engineering , Design , Art and Technology (CEDAT) at Makerere University,welcomed the National policy on waste management, revealing that Makerere University has already partnered with development partners like Kampala Capital City Authority ( KCCA) in implementing a two- year waste management project dubbed as” Flowers Project” which facilitates local organic waste exchange for regenerative systems.He added that the two-year project will run from 2026-2028, with the aim of turning restaurant food waste in Kampala city into animal feed and organic fertilizer.
” Initially we started with restaurant wastes from 50 restaurants within Kampala City but now we target 5,000 restaurants within the same area. We shall quantify the waste generated from these restaurants, ” Assoc.Prof. Niwagaba said.
