Fortportal Waste Plant grounded

The plant was setup in 2009 at kitere west Davision Fort portal Municipality is also used to produce organic manure for agriculture but as you read this Fortportal municipal authorities are sunk into a huge failure to maintain the Plant .

The waste plant was handed over to Fort portal municipal council after a year under the management of the world bank and the National Environment management authority (NEMA).
Fort Portal Municipal Council has failed to manage the operations of a 480-million Shilling garbage recycling plant set up to ensure proper garbage disposal and management.

However the municipality is finding difficulty to maintain the plant. Water supply at the plant was disconnected eight months ago while the municipal failed to secure a viable market for the manure produced at the plant.

Ben Mugisa, the plant supervisor says each month, 600, 000 Shillings is generated from the sale of manure, which is inadequate to fund its operations. He adds that the Municipal Council requires at least 250 million Shillings every quarter to maintain the plant, staff salaries and fuel trucks that ferry garbage to the site.

“The two garbage trucks have been grounded for four months due to lack of fuel, which has left several areas hit by heaps of garbage, the most affected areas are Rwengoma in West Division, Kisenyi suburb and Kabundaire market” says Ben Mugisha.

However according to Peter Nyamugo, the assistant Town Clerk of Fort Portal although they hoped that the local revenue generated by the Municipal Council would fund the operations of the plant, the funds are still insufficient.

In 2013, the Municipal Council got an international market to supply organic manure from the plant. Israel had contracted the Municipality to supply them with over 100 tons of manure per month.

The municipality was to acquire more than 72 million Shillings per year from the export of manure which starts this year.

However the contract hit a snag over unknown reasons.

By Joshua Mutale