The Kampala Capital City Authority has asked government for an additional
Shs6.018 billion to enable an increase in the daily wages of street cleaners, citing
the growing cost of living and the critical role the workers play in keeping the capital
clean.
The funding request was presented to Parliament Kampala Capital City Authority
Executive Director Sharifah as part of KCCA’s submissions for the upcoming
financial year.
She said the extra allocation is needed to implement a directive to raise street
cleaners’ daily pay from Shs6,000 to Shs10,000, a move intended to improve the
welfare of some of Kampala’s lowest paid workers.
KCCA told lawmakers that while the wage adjustment is necessary, the authority’s
current budget cannot absorb the additional cost without compromising other
essential city services. Officials warned that failure to secure the extra funds would
make it difficult to sustain sanitation operations at the scale required for a fast
growing city like Kampala.
Street cleaners are responsible for sweeping roads, managing drainage channels
and maintaining public spaces across the city, often working long hours in
challenging and hazardous conditions. Their work is considered central to public
health, especially in preventing flooding and disease outbreaks linked to poor waste
management.
The request for the Shs6.018 billion forms part of a broader appeal by KCCA for
increased budget support to strengthen urban service delivery. The authority has
also highlighted the need for additional resources to improve garbage collection,
street lighting and road maintenance.
Lawmakers on the parliamentary committee reviewing the proposal acknowledged
the importance of sanitation workers but noted that the request will be considered
alongside competing national priorities as the budget process continues.
If approved, the pay increase would mark a significant improvement in earnings for
Kampala’s street cleaners and signal renewed focus on labour welfare within the
city’s sanitation system.