KCCA Promises To Pay City Cleaner After Tuesday Protest

Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has promised to clear arrears of city cleaners following their protest on Tuesday morning.

On Tuesday, dozens of city cleaners took to the streets of Kampala protesting unpaid wages of up to six months. This protest moved across the city and climaxed at the authority’s headquarters.

The Tuesday protest is the fourth by the city workers since the start of the year, raising questions about whether the authority is serious about addressing their concerns. It comes barely three months since the Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, directed KCCA to promptly clear their arrears. The speaker made this directive in a meeting at Parliament attended by top city officials, including Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago and KCCA Executive Director Dorothy Kisakka. The speaker called the meeting after a section of city workers, including cleaners, staged a protest over unpaid wages at the gate of Parliament.

It is with this background that the cleaners engaged in running battles with police that ended with a number of them arrested as police restored order.

Following the protest, KCCA released a communication on X, formerly Twitter, asking for calm and patience from the cleaners.

However, KCCA was quick to blame the delay in payment on budget deficits for the financial year 2023/24. Additionally, the delayed release of supplementary funds by the Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development was blamed.

The Ministry of Finance has confirmed the allocation of necessary funds through the supplementary budget, assuring that all outstanding payments for the financial year 2023/24 will be fully settled.

KCCA

Additionally, KCCA warned the cleaners about engaging in acts of vandalism in the city. In the same statement, KCCA communicated the scheduling of a meeting with Town Clerks and Supervisors of City Cleaners on Monday, June 10, 2024. This meeting is expected to find a way forward in addressing the workers’ issues.

We understand the frustrations of our cleaning workforce, but we implore them not to cause harm or damage. We are diligently working to resolve the payment issue.

KCCA