NEBBI, June 17, 2024 – Over 100 market vendors in Nebbi Municipality whose businesses are being affected by the accumulated garbage at a nearby primary collection point have threatened to a stage demonstration so that leaders can move the garbage to the main dumping site.
The vendors, some of whom are beneficiaries of the Parish Development Model dealing in food items, said they have registered low sales in the last five months due to the stench coming out of the garbage.
The affected vendors, most of them widows, contend that the presence of garbage heaps and the stench have discouraged customers from coming to the market to shop.
One of the market vendors Janet Akumu who deals in firewood, said because of the nearby heaps of garbage, customers now buy the firewood from elsewhere, causing her to lose business.
Akumu was perturbed that despite the presence of the uncollected heap of garbage at the market, the Nebbi Municipal Council is not shy to collect license, and garbage fees from the vendors.
Another food vendor, Doreen wiyajik blamed the municipal council for having a single primary garbage collection point for all the three divisions of the municipality, and yet take long to carry the garbage away to the dumping site.
“The municipal authorities have taken a long time to collect the garbage and yet vendors pay garbage collection fees and if it rains, the whole place becomes unbearable to stay in,” said Wiyajik.
Talking to this reporter, Geoffrey Ngiriker, Nebbi Municipality Mayor admitted that there is poor management of garbage in the town due to the breakdown of tractors used for collecting the garbage from the primary collection point to the dumping site. He also blamed the existence garbage in town on poor revenue collection.
“The council doesn’t have trucks for transporting garbage from the primary collection center to the dumping site and if there is money, the council hires lorries from the district and if money from local revenue delays, the council doesn’t have any solution because the council relies on local revenue,” said Ngiriker said.
However, the town clerk Nebbi Municipality Muzamile Akuma distanced himself from uncollected garbage, arguing that it’s the responsibility of the division leaders to plan for garbage collection in their areas of jurisdiction.
“I was unaware about the garbage staying for over five months without being collected and I will have to consult the division leaders on why the garbage has overstayed without being collected,” said Akuma, adding that the uncollected garbage poses danger to the market vendors and their customers.
But the LCIII Chairperson of Central Division, Nebbi Municipality, Ronnie Japiemo said as a division, they have nothing to do with transporting garbage to the dumping site.
“The role of divisions is to collect garbage within the town and take to the primary collection center thereafter, it’s the municipality council to transport the garbage from the primary collection point to the main dumping site. If you are seeing garbage not being collected from the primary collection point, it is the municipal council which has failed to act, not us,” said Japie.
https://thecooperator.news/fort-portal-stinking-garbage-irks-mpanga-market-vendors/
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