Kampala struggles with uncollected garbage as vendors, street survivors adapt
Nakasero Market, one of the busiest in Kampala, is facing severe challenges due to the failure by authorities to properly manage waste at the market’s collecting area.
Since the tragic incident at the Kiteezi dumping site landfill, where a significant part of the landfill collapsed, the market’s garbage has not been cleared effectively.
This ongoing situation has forced vendors to lay their fresh produce, such as vegetables, directly on top of accumulated garbage, putting both their health and the safety of their customers at risk.
Vendors have voiced their frustrations, stating that the waste collection trucks only visit twice every four days, and even then, the amount of garbage collected is minimal.
This inadequate waste management has exacerbated the already dire conditions at the market, where piles of uncollected trash continue to grow.
The situation has also created a survival opportunity for street dwellers on Kafumbe Mukasa Street.
These individuals have turned the garbage-strewn area into their market, scavenging for leftover matooke, onions, eggplant, cassava, and other discarded food items to sustain themselves.
“How can we survive in an area where there is too much rubbish like this? There is nothing we can do besides to harden because this is where we work from, “one of the traders told KFM.
Despite the difficult circumstances, both the vendors and the street survivors continue to adapt to the situation, highlighting the resilience of the local community.
However, the situation calls for immediate intervention to restore hygiene and safety in the market, ensuring that vendors can sell their produce in a clean environment and that the street survivors do not have to rely on discarded, possibly contaminated food for survival.
