Government has announced a Shs 135 billion budget to rid Uganda of dirt. The Minister of Water and Environment, Maria Mutagamba confirmed that government had already secured the 50 million euros (about 135b/=) to fund sanitation programmes in the country.
“Part of this money will be used to implement Kampala’s sanitation plan,” Mutagamba said.
Mutagamba was reacting to questions raised about Kampala’s unbecoming hygiene as a result of poor sewerage and water systems, which expose city residents to a big risk of water borne diseases, at the Second Eastern Africa Sanitation Conference.
The conference which closed last week at Golf Course Hotel, was a follow up to the African Sanitation and Hygiene (AfricaSan+5) conference held in Durban, South Africa two years ago.
The National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC), the body responsible for the city’s water supply and sewerage treatment, has always warned that their systems are overwhelmed because they were planned to handle a small number of dwellers in the early post colonial years. Kampala’s population has grown to 3million people over the past five years.
Mutagamba raised concerns on the course of the current awareness campaigns, saying they are poorly focused and target the wrong audiences.
According to her, sanitation can be the easiest campaign because it begins at household levels. “The problem is messages are not delivered rightly,” she charged. “They should be delivered through schools, churches and cultural institutions.”
Mutagamba noted that sanitation remains worst in schools, instead. She called on the ministries of education, local government and health to join the efforts of her ministry to enforce sanitation.
The three-day conference drew delegates from the civil society, UNICEF, WaterAid, International Resource Centre and other donor related organisations. And participants came from Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia, Eritrea and Somalia.
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One hopes that out of the 50 euro millions, 35 euro million will just disappear in the inefficient bureaucracy common in NRM government. The 15 euro million is likely to repair what has been called colonial infrastructure installed 60 years ago. None of that money is going to work on regeneration of any modern environmentally friendly sanitation systems for this international city blessed with so much fresh water around it. Well if for 60 years sanitation has not made profit for money to be put back for future investment this lady Minister better tell the Kampalanian when they will start to pay back this money and by how much every month and for how many years?
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