Project Activities to date

SANITATION MAPPING /HOME SANITATION VISITS 


Sanitation and mapingKCCA is carrying out home sanitation visits from January 2017 to June 2017 in order to assess household sanitation in the City. The assessment will guide investment in sanitation at a City wide scale. KCCA has committed to increasing access to improved sanitation in the City and has invested in key sanitation improvement areas including but not limited to;

  1. Solid waste collection, transport, safe disposal and treatment.
  2. Construction of toilets in public primary schools, communities and health centres.
  3. Hygiene promotion and enforcement.
  4. Refurbishment, operation and maintenance of free public toilets for the high transient population, especially within the central business district (CBD)


Despite significant investments in sanitation by KCCA, over 90% of the households use pit latrines of inadequate standards. Approximately 1.8% are estimated to have no access to a toilet at all. In addition, almost 45% of the pit latrines are abandoned after 5 years when they are either full or broken-down due to poor infrastructure, and inadequate operation and maintenance.

Pit emptying services are unregulated, inadequate and largely unknown or unaffordable by the urban poor in informal settlements. Consequently, it is estimated that only 40% of the pit latrine waste (Feacal sludge) is safely collected, transported, disposed and treated.

In a bid to address these sanitation challenges, the Directorate of Public Health and Environment will carry out Citywide Home Sanitation visits with the objectives to;

  • Assess health-related environmental and sanitation conditions at the individual, family and community levels
  • Utilize this information to target and guide investment planning, resource allocation, monitoring and regulation of service delivery and enforcement of standards.


Approach

The approach that has been taken for these home sanitation visits is as follows;

  • Engage with local leaders at all levels
  • Sensitize communities 
  • Door to door home sanitation visits


How to identify an official home sanitation visitor

Proper and adequate identification from KCCA with;

  • A KCCA identification tag bearing a photograph, full names, Identification number, KCCA logo and toll free line (0800990000) for verification
  • Reflector jacket labelled with a KCCA logo
  • A smart phone for online recording of sanitation information


Outcomes

The following outcomes are envisaged;

  • Improved household health, hygiene and environmental sanitation
  • Reduction in environmental pollution and sanitation related diseases
  • Increased business and entrepreneurship for household sanitation services

 

TOLL FREE CALL CENTER SERVICES

A toll free number (080099000) through the KCCA call centre services has been established to increase public feedback and efficient service delivery. A pilot has been implemented with support from GIZ and Swiss Development Cooperation and was recently launched in January 2017.
 


The call centre services have been integrated into the sanitation program to;

  1. Provide adequate information to the public on appropriate environmental health, hygiene and sanitation management 
  2. Link clients to the available pit emptying service providers operating within their communities
  3. Support organised and registered private operators partnering with KCCA with marketing opportunities to develop their businesses
  4. Obtain feedback from communities and general public regarding; quality of services offered and overall environmental health, hygiene and sanitation conditions in the city
  5.  Enhance research and learning through real time information capture for; decision making, investment planning, regulation & enforcement and public engagement

Do you need to empty your toilet? Call 0800990000

 

PHONE AIDED SERVICE TRACKING AND FEEDBACK SYSTEM
 

In order to support and promote private operators in pit emptying services KCCA with support from GIZ and Swiss Development Cooperation launched a phone tracking system to be linked with the Geographical Information System (GIS) and the call centre
 

Objectives;

  1. Determine the current demand patterns for pit emptying services in the city
  2. Identify which areas are not (frequently) being served  
  3. Ensure that the pit waste (faecal sludge) is dumped legally at a designated Treatment Plant in Lubigi or Bugolobi
  4. Link the pit emptying private operators to communities and other potential clients through the KCCA call centre.


Progress to date

  1. We have partnered with all existing pit emptying service providers in Kampala City (cesspool and gulper emptiers) to capture data during their routine business operations
  2.  A smart phone (with an appropriate phone application) has been provided for free to the at least 50 private operators to record information about emptying and disposal of feacal sludge
  3. The phone application will capture the geographical coordinates, time and date at all these steps automatically.
  4.  Data will be relayed and analysed by KCCA in real time to link private operators to clients who need pit emptying services through the toll free call centre service
  5. All cesspool and gulper operators will be trained on how to use the phone and the application. The first phase has trained at least 50 cesspool and gulper operators.


Expected Outcomes

  1. A detailed understanding of the  current pit emptying service areas and patterns
  2. Development of mechanisms to increase pit emptying service coverage on a citywide scale and reduce public health risks and environmental pollution due to illegal dumping
  3. Link potential clients to service providers in real time 
  4. Development of pit emptying businesses hence increased efficiency of service delivery   

Development partners