Buvuma Islands on Lake
Victoria were elevated to district status in 2010. The district consist
of the three wards — Buwanga, Walwanda and Tome.
Hillary Simbwa, the mayor, boasts that Buvuma is the only town council
in Uganda that is surrounded by water and green vegetation cover.
“We have one of the best sceneries in Uganda, blessed with not only
water, but also plateaux. We have the Lagula plateau in Buwanga ward,
Kananyonyi plateau in Walwanda and Mbegete plateau in Tome,” he said. When Buvuma Islands
became a district, politicians had big expectations. However, they now
seem to be disappointed because the town faces many problems. With a
population of over 7,500, the town lacks public toilets, secondary and
primary schools. It is also struggling with poor disposal of garbage.
Simbwa says none of the three wards has a health centre II. However,
residents have access to Buvuma health centre IV, which serves as the
district hospital.
Buvuma town council lacks a physical plan, which has given residents
room to build without following any order. This has resulted into the
creation of more slums and camp-like structures in the town.
Low toilet coverge
“Even after three years as a town council, toilets remain a luxury in
Buvuma. We could only construct one public toilet in Walwanda public
market,” Simbwa said.
Charles Wandera, the Buvuma town council senior health inspector, says
lack of toilets is their biggest challenge. He adds that the only public
toilet in the area is filled and there are no funds to empty it.
“Our toilet coverage is less than 20%. Even where there is a toilet,
people prefer using the lake or the bushes. Some have false beliefs that
using a toilet can make a woman barren,” Wandera said.
He added that constructing a toilet on the islands costs up to sh20m.
Wandera explained that this was due to the fact that some places have
weak soils, while others are rocky. He added that the water table is
also so high, thereby making it difficult for them to construct a toilet
because it could easily connect to the lake.
Water and sanitation
Wandera said residents report many cases of diarrhoea because many of
them drink and use water from the lake, which is contaminated with human
waste.
He also added that those who ease themselves in the bush think it is
safer than going to the lake, but when it rains, the waste is washed
into the lake.
Wandera explained that it is hard to discourage residents from easing
themselves in the lake because they believe the lake cannot get
contaminated. Many people bathe, wash cars, motor cycles, clothes and
utensils in the lake, which is improper, he added.
Buvuma has gravity flow tap water, which only supplies Buwaga ward.
Wandera says the budgeting process for Buvuma town council does not
consider public health and sanitation a priority. “I pray that policy
makers start prioritising issues of public health and sanitation on a
preventive basis. They prefer allocating more money to buying medicine
to cure diarrhoea than on measures to prevent the disease,” he said.
Wandera said he had presented a budget of sh80m, but it was reduced to less than sh20m.
“I was disappointed. I had planned to construct three public toilets,
buy dustbins, sensitise people and fuel the tractor for garbage
collection, but without the funds, we cannot afford to do all that,” he
said.
Simbwa says the town council operated on a budget of sh475m, of which
only sh46m comes from local revenue. About sh150m goes towards the
development budget.
“We would be collecting more local revenue if the Government had not
centralised the fisheries tax. We are also fighting illegal fishing with
our meagre resources. Therefore, I ask the Government to revise the
policy and decentralise the tax again,” he said.
Waste management
According to Simbwa, there are no dustbins in the town council.
Simbwa explained that residents individually collect their garbage and
burn it. “We got a tractor from the Government to help us collect
garbage, but the district diverted it for its work because we had no
funds to fuel it. The tractor is now down and we have tasked the
district officials to have it repaired. When we get money, we shall be
able to use it to collect garbage,” said Simbwa.

There are no dustbins in Buvuma town council. PHOTO/Henry Nsubuga
Education
Buvuma town council has recorded the worst performance in the education
sector, with only three government primary schools and one secondary
school.
“It has been difficult to get a pupil passing in first grade in Buvuma.
However, last year, our MP Robert Migadde, was invited to a school to
congratulate a pupil who had passed in second grade in the Primary
Leaving Examinations,” Simbwa said.
Economic activities
The town council has only one public market called Walwanda Market.
However, the market has many of unused stalls because most of the
residents of Buvuma are involved in fishing.
Simbwa adds that the residents of Buvuma resorted to farming after the lake was emptied by fishermen due to illegal fishing.
“We produce upland rice, bananas, maize and other food crops. However,
food production has led to the cutting down of forests, so as to clear
land for cultivation. Charcoal burning is also done on a largescale.
Chat with residents
Night Apero
Lack of toilets is our biggest challenge. Local leaders recently asked
us to contribute money to construct a toilet, but we have not responded.
Our leaders say they do not have funds and we also cannot afford to
construct toilets on our own.
Joseph Opendi of Kitamiiro village
There is poor sanitation. We lack toilets and most of the residents ease
themselves in the lake and bushes. Unfortunately, some of us use the
water from the lake in our homes.
Ivan Mugalu Ssuuna
We are doing badly in public health. Buvuma has no health centre II. The
rocky nature of the land also makes it costly for us to construct
toilets. The Government should provide us with more public toilets.
Maliten Lukoma Buliba, village council chairman
I blame the health inspectors for letting residents who do not have
toilets live freely without any caution. As a village chairman, I cannot
fight this alone.
Lydia Nakamyuka, vendor in Walwanda market
Poor waste disposal is a problem. We have a designated place where we
should dump garbage, but vendors dump it anywhere they want without
care.
Source: New Vision