Kampala's waste collection system is leaving small businesses in informal settlements to absorb the cost of flooding, according to NTV Uganda. The broadcaster reported on Saturday that residents are questioning who should be held responsible when the city floods, given the gap between what households pay for garbage removal and the protection they actually get.
According to NTV Uganda, the problems compound one another. Garbage pickup arrives late, drainage is insufficient, and collection fees are out of reach for many households. The result, the report says, is that traders are left tallying losses after floods while the question of accountability remains unresolved.
The reporting, by NTV Uganda's Betty Ndagire, frames the issue as a mismatch between payment and service. Households are charged for waste collection, yet the wider benefits people might expect from a functioning system — cleared drains and reduced flood risk — are not reaching them. In informal settlements, where fees are hardest to afford, that gap is most acute.
The broadcaster's account does not put a figure on the losses businesses have suffered, nor does it identify which authority residents hold responsible. What it does make clear is that delayed collection and poor drainage are being linked directly to flood damage in these communities.
Watch for whether city authorities respond to the accountability questions raised by residents, and whether collection schedules or fee structures in informal settlements change as a result.
