By Monday morning of 12th Aug 2024, 22 people were confirmed to have died of Kitezi garbage disaster. Information from Kitezi community shows that there is a good number of the unaccounted for persons. 10 years back to date there has been pointers that this Kitezi garbage site was not only full but had become unsafe, unhealthy to the surrounding communities. This hilly area had started developing cracks a sign that it would give way. The site managers-KCCA knew of this crisis but as it always the case it remained business as usual hence lives and properties
Disasters are un-avoidable, but Kitezi mayhem could have been diverted or stopped. In our homes, work places and government entities safety culture is wanting. From schools, churches, homes, factories, offices, warehouses, markets etc, there is no semblance of safety.
Risk management appetite
Not sure if KCCA has a unit of risk management. With or without it, The Kitezi garbage area has been a known risk that is was in deep red. When ragging a risk and it crosses into deep red that risk must be dealt with immediately. Of course the usual scapegoat is lack of funds. This is understandable but at what cost? Why should KCCA avail resources to work on Mulago roundabout but fail to raise a few billion shillings to deal with a safety and health issue? The sequencing of issues at KCCA must be a challenge. Any things that hurts safety or security of the population must be dealt with and immediately. Kitezi matter should have been very urgent and if it required supplementary budget MOFPED would have been contacted.
Safety culture in Uganda.
I have written this before, and I will continue to add avoice that the safety culture in Uganda is so bad. Its possible for a developer to put up a 10bn shillings infrastructure without minding on the safety apparatus and systems like fire systems, drainage, etc. Moreover, this begins at planning level. The architecture will ignore the required system, even when included, the engineer on site will be asked by the developer to ignore until the site is complete and handed over to the owner. KCCA which is mandated to issue occupancy permit, will go on and issue one without these critical safety systems in place.
Check with the arcades in Kampala and see how many fire hydrants are in those beautiful expensive buildings, look for safety notices, emergency exit routes, trained fire marshals and first aiders etc. Certainly, a handful will have these important apparatus. Any un safe practice is detrimental to the both person and the infrastructure. I remember not long ago, some KCCA water hydrants that Uganda police is meant to use were tested and found dry. This basic but very important asset should be ready for use at all times. You can have 100 gas stations in Kampala without working water hydrants. The possibility of fire outbreak is eminent. Kampala as a city is susceptible to fire outbreak.
Emergency response.
Emergency response timelines are an indicator of our inhouse planning, and general leadership. Smart emergency response plans saves lives, properties and it’s a pointer of stellar leadership. Delayed emergence responses causes anger, invites for rudimentary response and in most times causes more danger than it ought to solve. The Kitezi population were more angered by delayed and later slow response than the incident itself. Incident response and management is very critical to the overall incident handling including dissemination of information. It was in the news that one officer hitherto mandated to speak on behalf of the KCCA institution stopped people from giving information including signing witness statement. Ideally, an officer from KCCA should have been permanently positioned at the rescue command Centre to specifically give information to the public through all media channels including social media. The absence of this person opens a window of false information and the ugandans that I know will take any information on face value.
Basic necessities
The affected community require basic needs. I expect NWSC to have connected ten water points at where mega tent has been constructed, positioned temporary toilets, Prime ministers office offered basic beddings, dry and wet food offered including cooks. The might UPDF can collaborate these activities because they have bigger sauce pans and metallic plates that can not be stolen or damaged. I expect a mobile health unit to be put in place consisting of Doctors, Nurses and other medical personnel on 24 hrs shift basis. These interventions are demonstration of a working emergency response plan.
Business continuity plan activation.
Whereas Kitezi is now a crime scene, Kampala dwellers and business, community continues to produce garbage that must be taken away without interruption. Any uncollected garbage is a risk that can result into many diseases including chorea, diahorea, skin diseases etc. I remember there was a time when roads were impassable and garbage trucks could not access Kitezi for some days, Kampala became a garbage city. If only 3 days led to a city of black dark houseflies what about now? There should have been an alternate dumping site whether Dundu or any other. There is still a lot of vacant lands on Kapeka road, Busunju road, etc. KCAA handle the garbage dumping sites as important as the way you handle your salaries at end month.
Consequence management is important
Who will be held liable for the death? There will be noise made between now and a few weeks to follow and there after, it will be normal. Someone or some KCCA officers should be held accountable for this loss. Uganda cannot lose its citizen in this fashion, manner and ways and no one faces the hanging rope. Reports have been filed on the status of this garbage fill area without reasonable acactions taken. I hope IGG will crack the whip. Every death must be accountable. In fact, In UPDF act of 1995, there is an article that says if ones action leads to failure of an operation or death of soldiers, he or she faces a penalty of death. This should be replicated in the civilian life. If one hospital administrators’ sales medicine and it leads to patients death, then this hospital officer follows the dead patient etc. We need to see tables being bagged, interdiction letters signed, offices vacated and leadership change at city hall. We cannot lose over 22 people and the city do not feel the tsunami.
Previous KCCA mishandled projects.
I will use simple examples that clearly demonstrates the un-seriousness at city hall. I will refer to some chronic potholes that have to be repaired at least thrice a year. Potholes at Total Petrol station Katwe, Total head office Namuwongo Road, Potholes at Kubiri opposite Hass petro station, pothole before Ndere troupe Ntiinda etc. These potholes are virtually repaired three or more times a year. One wonders why spend some huge amounts of money on similar problem in and out. Refeering to Katwe pothole, on 25th July 2024, the same potholes were repaired and I betyou, come October 2024, two months from now, the same potholes will resurface. What the public expect from the highly qaulifified, trained, experience technical team at KCCA is to carryout perfect job at first time. Re-works are a huge cost. Aggregating the total amounts of money spent on these potholes and others in a year may equal to money that can construct a 1km of new road or more. Therefore, when the public keep seeing wastage, incompetence, they lose trust, confidence and hopes are shattered in KCCA teams. The public outcry calling KCCA team to resign because of Kitenzi incident is accompanied by many frustrations.
Very fast to arrest vendors, house developers.
The same KCCA is quicker to know that you poured a lorry of sand and hard-core stones in prepRrtion to put up a structure. In less than a day, a pick up with well-armed enforcement officers will be on your site asking a million questions. If the developer parts with some shillings, they will evacuate and the developer will continue with construction activities. Why can’t the public see the same speed and accuracy while dealing with serious public matters?
KCCA you letting doen the population you potray servicing. Politically, this would cost some more hundreds of votes come 2026, and if the current leadership contract renewal is soon, some marks have been automatically deducted. A peaceful country like Uganda should not lose people and property in such way. It will be difficult to convice the public and most especially the families that lost their beloved one snad properties.
Government especially executive must crack the whip. The communities and relatives that lost people and properties need to see this happening. KCCA this should be a learning lesson and hopefully it wont re-occur. Up the game and get basics right.
To those that lost their beloved ones and properties, we are with you in pain.
Samson Tinka
Safety and Security consultant.
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