Newly Commissioned Incinerator Vandalised

Unidentified thugs have vandalized an incinerator that was built on the banks of River Mpanga in Fort Portal to burn waste and prevent it from ending up in the river. King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV of Tooro Kingdom commissioned the incinerator on Wednesday last week.  

This was the third part of King Oyo’s campaign dubbed “Save River Mpanga Now” that he launched in May this year. During the Commissioning, Anthony Kalyegira, the Director Environment Affairs in Tooro kingdom, noted that the incinerator would help destroy all the waste that can’t be recycled but is very harmful to the river.

He explained that over Shillings 1 million was spent on its construction. However, by Monday morning, the incinerator was no more. Our reporter visited the site this morning and found the incinerator vandalized with its metallic door, chimney and other materials missing.  

According to Kalyegira, the information he had received points scrap dealers who wanted the metallic door, its frame, chimney pipe and wire mesh for financial gain. 

He suspects that the Fort Portal Municipality technical staff and political leaders could be behind the destruction because they have been gaining financially from waste management an didn’t warm up to the idea of the incinerator.  

Vincent Mugume, the Deputy Information Minister Tooro Kingdom, condemned the act and asked security agencies to find the culprits.     

//Cue in: “Nk’Obukama ntukyena ekikorwa…  

Cue out… omubikaro byabo.”//    

But Kalyegira discloses that he will not give up on saving River Mpanga, adding that he will ensure the kingdom establishes another bigger incinerator on Kingdom land in Bukwali and fence it off to protect it from destruction.  

Fort Portal Mayor, Rev Willy Kintu Muhanga rubbished claims that leaders were against the incinerator or could be behind its destruction, saying that if they didn’t support the idea, they wouldn’t allow its construction in the first place.   

River Mpanga flows from the Rwenzori Mountains and crosses Kabarole, Kyenjojo and Kamwenge districts and then feeds into Lake George. It is a major source of water for National Water and Sewerage Cooperation - NWSC in these districts, and King Oyo has been pushing for its protection and its tributaries.