By Steven Enatu
SOROTI CITY
Residents in Kengere Ward, Eastern Division in Soroti City have resorted to hiring boda-boda riders and insane people to dump garbage as city authority fails to provide garbage skips.
Speaking to eastnews.co.ug in an exclusive interview yesterday 13th April 2021 about the garbage littering the Ward, residents accused the authority of Eastern Division of failing to provide the area with a skips where they can take their garbage.
At the school compound of Moruapesur Primary school, a heap of rotten and decaying garbage welcomes one to the school premises.
Rehema Achan, a resident of Gigandani cell, Kengere Ward in Soroti City East, the school was turned into a dumping site two years ago since the container where people could dump garbage was removed.
“Nobody wanted to take garbage to the market where the truck could come and pick it, instead they hired boda- boda riders and mad people to bring and dump here,” she said.
At that very point she said garbage takes a year before any intervention from the city authority.
“We just try as residents nearby to be vigilant of people who come but there are those who are still big headed, sometimes we try to burn it,” she added.
Christine Alelo said most often they have tried to intervene as concerned community members with local council one chairperson but some residents are stiff -necked that the road is no man’s land.
“We really need help from the city authority about the garbage, we the people who stay next to the point feel its impact now that the rains have come, they will rot and maggots will enter,” she said.
She said the city authority should ensure that they provide them with garbage skips or a truck that collects garbage to pass routinely.
Salume Adebo, a saloon operator says that the rot along the road trench and just at the center of Teso Inn is chasing away customers who fear to be in smelly business centers.
Ramadan Bokere, the councillor Kengere ward acknowledged the mess but called for calm from the community as the authority tries to find a solution.
“This area is densely populated and indeed we have no gazetted dumping site and when the garbage truck is down, we expect such situations but we have discussed it at the Division level and a lasting solution is coming,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Town Clerk Soroti East Division, Abraham Omadio said the Division is incapacitated in terms of finances and the only truck in use usually breaks down.
He however noted that people have also failed to manage the household’s garbage and makes it a big issue for the division.
“Efforts are underway, I am going to liaise with the Health Inspector to find a solution,” he said.
Omaido added that people should learn to keep garbage at household level as they wait for trucks to collect especially now that Soroti is a City.
