Jinja City has improved garbage collection and sanitation after reclaiming a landfill previously encroached upon by residents, City Mayor Peter Kasolo said.
The 13-acre Masese site, which had long served as a dumping ground, was given to investor God Will Agencies in exchange for 12 acres in Musima Village, under a land swap deal with the defunct Jinja Municipal Council.
The resolution was passed on October 18, 2018, under then-speaker Moses Morrison Bizitu.
Mayor Kasolo told Daily Monitor that reclaiming the landfill enabled the city to reorganize its waste management system and introduce more sustainable approaches.
‘Initially, garbage collection was handled by the council, but it was very challenging. private companies are doing it better now,’ he said, explaining that the city now partners with licensed firms under the polluter-pays principle, where residents and businesses pay for collection directly from their premises.
Plastic waste has been banned from the landfill because it does not decompose and had caused the site to reach full capacity, Kasolo added.
‘Right now, plastic waste is no longer dumped there, and this has greatly improved sanitation in the city,’ he revealed.
The city is also in advanced talks with investors to turn waste into usable products. Factories have been mandated to manage their own garbage, either via private incinerators or licensed collection companies.
At Jinja Central Market, improved practices have changed both the environment and vendor behaviour.
On Saturday, market chairperson Henry Mugimba said sanitation has improved after appointing individuals to manage garbage collection.
‘The earlier polluter-pays system was ineffective and unfair to vendors. People continued generating garbage, paid the fee, and the problem remained,’ Mugimba said, adding: ‘Vendors were paying twice despite market dues already covering cleaning services.’
Food vendor Mariam Mutesi said regular collection has made the system fairer and encouraged responsible disposal.
‘Before, people would dump it anywhere, but that is no longer the case,’ she told Monitor.
Jinja Southern Division Deputy Mayor Maria Kasasa said the earlier challenges stemmed from unclear roles between the City Council and vendors.
‘Now everyone understands their role, which has greatly reduced mismanagement,’ she said.
Village leaders have been tasked with overseeing collection in their respective areas.
Aldina Village chairperson Vin Lawrence Ssemaganda said regular door-to-door collection, daily market cleaning, and waste separation are ongoing, although challenges remain, particularly during the rainy season when trucks struggle to access the landfill. Negative attitudes and delayed government payments also persist.
In Jinja City, households and businesses pay monthly waste fees ranging from Shs5,000 to Shs30,000, depending on the volume generated. A 2021-2022 survey by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development estimated that 182.6 tons of solid waste are generated in the city daily.
The reclamation and restructuring efforts mark a significant step in improving sanitation in Uganda’s industrial hub, Mayor Kasolo said, as Jinja City seeks to balance growth with environmental sustainability.