Expired goods such as salt, sugar, baking flour, eggs, cooking oil, wheat flour, maize flour and beverages are among the over 1,200 tons of garbage disposed of the landfill each month but somehow find their way back into retail and wholesale shops and supermarkets for sale.
Traders from
Kampala and its neighbouring districts are profiteering from expired good dumped
at Kiteezi landfill in Mpererwe in Wakiso district.
Expired goods such as salt,
sugar, baking flour, eggs, cooking oil, wheat flour, maize flour and beverages are among the over 1,200 tons of
garbage disposed of the landfill each month but somehow find their way back
into retail and wholesale shops and supermarkets for sale.
Some of the
repackaged expired goods are sold by vendors in Kiteezi, Liusanja, Namere,
Kyanja Mpererwe, Kasangati, Nabweru and Kalerwe areas. Julius Mbonigaba, a resident of Kabuwoko
village in Kiteezi parish in Nangabo Sub County is one of the beneficiaries of
the expired items.
He reveals
that prior to the COVID-19 lockdown UgaChick disposed of tons of eggs. According
to Mbonigaba, he gathered the trays of eggs he could afford and sold each
at Shillings 4000 to chapatti markers.
He says that because the eggs were too
many and heat from the garbage, some of them hatched in their thousands gifting
the garbage collectors with a fortune as they sold each chick at Shillings 200.
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Isaac Jjengo, (not real name) a middleman told URN the local police and leaders
are involved in the resale of the expired good dumped at the site.
He explains
that they collect the expired wheat flour, rice and baking flour and sell it
alongside other merchandise in places near Kiteezi landfill.
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He says a kilogram of sugar goes for less than Shillings 2000 but is repackaged
and sold at the normal market price in shops and supermarkets.
Three liters of
expired cooking oil goes for Shillings 10000 at wholesale price. One can sell
at least 200 liters on average in one month and 500 kilograms of sugar.
Daniel Semakula, who also deals in the expired goods, disclosed to Uganda Radio
Network that cooking oil, wheat flour and sugar are the most sold items although
they are not readily available each day.
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Daniel Muhumuza NuweAbine, the Spokesperson Kampala Capital City Authority-KCCA,
says once the garbage is dumped, it is cleared and crushed by a tractor.
He, however, said they will initiate investigations
with the Public Health team to ascertain the claims of the expired goods that
find their work in shops.
