Residents of Mbarara City will most likely contend with increased garbage on streets following the withdraw of street garbage collection services by a private company Homeklin.
Mbarara News can exclusively confirm that Homeklin will no longer be responsible for street garbage collection after it failed to secure a working contract with Mbarara Municipal Council.
Since October 2019, Homeklin has been collecting street garbage free of charge as the company started its operations in Mbarara City. The free offer was based on an understanding that after three months, the company would sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Mbarara Municipal Council to continue operations in different areas of Mbarara City.
This was intended to give Homeklin exclusive rights to provide garbage collection services to Mbarara City residents; with the company collecting street garbage free of charge as part of its cooperate social responsibility.
For close to a year now, Homeklin has been collecting street garbage but authorities at the White House led by Mbarara Mayor Robert Mugabe Kakyebezi and the town clerk have refused to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the company. It remains unclear why the officials are playing a hard game but Mbarara News hopes this is not another corruption-driven move.
Even by press time, no official at Mbarara Municipal council could respond to our inquiries on the matter.
After a long tolerance of hiding and seek games, Mbarara News understands that Homeklin has decided to cut ties with the Mbarara Municipal council. For now, the company is putting all attention on serving its clients as the duty of street garbage collection returns to the Council.
Given the record of poor service delivery, incompetence, and poor supervision, street garbage will be a hard task for the council.
Could this be the start of an era of garbage-littered streets in Mbarara City?
By Cliff Abenaitwe
Mbararanews@gmail.com
