By George Bukenya
Despite the Speaker of Parliament Anita Among, two months ago ordering KCCA to pay cleaners who clean Kampala Streets and clearing of drainage channels, the City Authorities have remained adamant something that has ignited fresh riots by these casual labors.
Today in the morning hundreds of the city cleaners rioted on the streets of Kampala and some went to City Hall (KCCA) headquarters with garbage which they poured on the main entrance demanding for their payment of arrears accumulating to six months.
The casual labors this website talked to say that they have gone six months without receiving payments yet they have needs just like their bosses at KCCA but they go months without being paid.
Police manning the security at KCCA premised opened tear gas at them but this didn’t deter them from shouting at the Authorities main gate demanding for payment.
Government released a total of UGX 17 billion to cater for about 2000 casual labours who clean city streets in Kampala but KCCA leadership lead by the council speaker’s office went to Parliament to explain about the cause of the problem to the Speaker Anita Among.
In their talks with the Rt. Hon. Among they also asked for a supplementary budget of UGX 8 billion to cater for the extra 2000 more casual labours recruited which was granted but up to now the cleaners haven’t been cleared their arrears.
The Head of Public and Corporate Affairs at KCCA Daniel Niweabine, when contacted said that the authority initially had planned for only 2000 cleaners but they were directed by the President to increase on the numbers and employ the youth and Widows without skills and the number of KCCA casual labours shoot up to over 4000 working in the different divisions of Kampala which made it difficult for the Authority to cater for their wages.
However, he said that the funds are available now and they are ready to pay through the SACCOs of these workers but the majority of workers didn’t have bank accounts which they were told to open and that in about one week they will have cleared all the arrears.
Niwabine despite being asked by the reporter of this website, declined to mention the months the labourers are demanding in arrears and the amount of wage each casual worker is supposed to receive per month.
The deputy Speaker of KCCA council Nasuru Masaba confirmed that the money for payment of these casual labour was received even that was put in the supplementary budget but because of the fight between the Executive office the political wing on who should handle and control the funds is what is causing the problem.
“ It’s so absurd when you hear that such workers are not paid yet the money was received by KCCA and the policy on how to handle casual workers was passed by the Authority’s council but the Executive Director is not following it.’’ Masaaba said.
He further said, ` the problem arises from who should control and handle the money, the Minister for Kampala and the Executive Director are fighting each other each one wanting to ensure that gets hold of the bag of money and casual workers suffer because of that, ’he narrated.
Masaaba also revealed that KCCA had initially planned for only 2000 casual workers who won the bidding exercise through their Village SACCOs and were awarded the tender of cleaning the city but there were changes after the presidential directive, directing the Authority to employ all the vurnalable youth and widows in Kampala and the numbers increased to 5000.