Masindi: Councillors, speaker clash over garbage collection

MASINDI, November 3, 2023 – A section of councillors at Masindi Municipal Council yesterday clashed with their speaker, Tadeo Opio after he ruled that James Ventures Uganda Limited, a company that was being tried to collect garbage in town continues with the work without going through due process.

The councillors accused Opio of conniving with the offices of the town clerk, the mayor, and the rest of the members of the council executive to have the contractor continue collecting the garbage even as majority of them voted against it.

During the council sitting, the councillors also asked the mayor, Ronald Businge Kyomuhendo, and the town clerk, Francis Nyamugo to explain how they allowed James Ventures continue managing the garbage without following the established procedures but the duo failed to give a convincing explanation.

According to the councilors, James Ventures Uganda Limited has been overcharging residents to collect garbage, while at the same, they claimed, the company has been disrespecting the local leadership. However, the company, whose contract the councillors want terminated, has denied these accusations.

Earlier on, Jackson Mboneraho, the Secretary for Finance had told the council that the they resolved to privatise garbage management after benchmarking from Kasese Municipality.

“James Ventures Uganda Limited was engaged on trial basis to manage garbage… after we [council] failed to attract a service provider in the advert that was run in the News papers,” said Mboneraho.

He added that during the month of October which was for the trial, garbage had been well managed and also the collection points cleared.

What annoyed the councilors was that the contractor had already imposed some charges on the people without a blessing from them as people’s representatives.

However, before the contractors relationship with the Municipality is formalised, the executive had proposed that the contractor cuts garbage collection charged by 50 percent.

For instance,  the contractor had proposed to charge road side vendors Shs 10,000 per month but the executive had reduced to Shs 5,000, shops from Shs 15,000 to Shs 7500, wholesale traders from Shs 30,000 to Shs 15,000, residents from Shs 30,000 to Shs 15,000, hardware and super markets from Shs 60,000 to Shs 30,000 and schools from Shs150,000 to Shs 75000 among others.

The other sectoral committees had also resolved that the charges be reduced, although councillors said there was no advert in the New Vision for a garbage collector as said by Mbaneraho, the Secretary for Finance.

“There’s was no advert which was run. I read News papers everyday but I have never seen the advert. This was done in a kangaroo style. We don’t know how this contractor entered the business with the council,” said Simon Kyomuhendo the councilor representing Kihuuba ward.

Robert Akugizibwe, the councilor representing Kinjura ward wondered why people were assessed by the contractor and yet there was no formal agreement with the council. “Why all this hurry? What’s the money people pay for the lincences going to do,” asked Akugizibwe.

Peter Isingoma Ndabi, the councilor representing Kikwanana ward questioned why during the trial months the contractor went a head to make assessments without the involvement of the the technocrats.

Kyomuhendo the municipal mayor told theCooperator  that one of the challenges the municipality is grappling with is garbage management.

“The truth is when the contractor started his work I was also not aware. But surprisingly he has done a great work during this trial. My prayer is that they accept him to work,” he said.

Nyamugo the town clerk told the council that Masindi is not the first town to privatise garbage management. “Masindi is not going to be the first to implement this. Most urban councils are transiting to privatisation of garbage collection and this is the way to go,” he said.

https://thecooperator.news/mp-faults-masindi-district-senior-staff-for-denying-her-pdm-data/

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