The Weyonje app is a digital tool created for licenced sanitation service providers in Kampala City, allowing them to efficiently manage and track waste emptying jobs. The app enables service providers to record job details, track orders, including those assigned by the Kampala City Council Authority (KCCA), and record financial transactions, culminating in the creation of a comprehensive business profile.
Residents of Kampala can leverage the Weyonje app to request pit emptying services, facilitating timely and responsive sanitation management. A pivotal feature of the app is its GIS mapping capability which offers real-time insights into the whereabout of pit latrines across the city. This feature is instrumental for sanitation crews in optimising their service routes, giving priority to the most critical area and guaranteeing comprehensive coverage.
The GIS mapping component provides real-time data on the location of pit latrines throughout the city, enabling sanitation teams to efficiently plan their routes, prioritise areas with the greatest need, and ensure no area is overlooked.
The app has also become a tool for community engagement, encouraging residents to actively participate in maintaining cleanliness in their surroundings. The app disseminates information on sanitation best practices and the impact of poor hygiene, fostering a culture of cleanliness among the city’s residents.
Aligning with broader environmental sustainability goals, the initiative reduces the risk of groundwater contamination and the release of harmful pathogens into the environment, safeguarding both public health and local ecosystems.
Sustainable Development Goals
City
Kampala, Uganda
Size and population development
According to statistical data from Kampala Capital City Authority the 2019. Population of the city was 1,650,800 with a density of 8,228 people per square km. The annual population growth rate was recorded at 5.07%. The population gender breakdown is 53% female and 47% male.
Population composition
Kampala has a diverse ethnic population drawn from all parts of the country and from neighbouring countries such as Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, South Sudan, Eritrea, and small communities from India and China. Officially Kampala hosts over 98,000 refugees from 25 countries, however, the actual numbers of refugees may be significantly higher with a large portion being unregistered in the city. The rate of refugee arrival to Kampala exceeds the rate of urbanisation of the city, meaning that an increasing percentage of the city population will be refugees in the short-term. The majority of refugees in Kampala are Congolese and Somalis with smaller populations of Eritrean, Burundian, South Sudanese, Rwandese, and Ethiopians. Although many Kampala residents have been born and brought up in the city, they still define themselves by their tribal roots and speak their ancestral languages. This is more evident in the suburbs, where tribal languages are spoken widely alongside English, Luganda, and Swahili.
Main functions
Kampala covers a total of 189.3 square Kms, 23% of its area is fully urbanised, 60% semi-urbanised and the rest considered as rural settlements. The city borders Lake Victoria, East Africa's largest lake.
Main industries / business
Situated in the country’s most prosperous agricultural section, Kampala exports coffee, cotton, tea, tobacco, and sugar. The city has numerous food, metal-products, and furniture enterprises and a tractor-assembly plant. It is the headquarters for most of Uganda’s large firms.
Sources for city budget
KCCA draws its budget for public expenditure largely from property tax, fees, operating revenues, other taxes and subsides from the National Government of Uganda.
Political structure
Kampala Capital City Authority is the legal entity, established by the Ugandan Parliament, that is responsible for the operations of the Capital City. The Lord Mayor is the political head of the Capital City and presides over all meetings of the Authority, performs ceremonial and civic functions, hosts foreign and local dignitaries, heads the Authority in developing strategies and programmes for the development of the Capital City, monitors the administration, provides guidance to the division administration and represents the Capital city on the Metropolitan Authority.
Administrative structure
The KCCA consists of the following members:
(a) Lord Mayor (b) Deputy Lord Mayor (c) one councillor directly elected by secret ballot to represent each electoral area in the Capital City on the basis of universal adult suffrage (d) two councillors representing the youth, one of whom shall be female (e) two councillors with disability representing persons with disabilities, one of whom shall be female (f) women councillors forming one third of the Council such that the councillors elected under paragraphs c, d and e shall form two thirds of the Council, (g) two councillors representing the workers, one of whom shall be female; and (II) two councillors representing the elderly, one of whom shall be female
Kampala is currently divided into 5 urban Divisions: Central, Kawempe, Lubaga, Makindye and Nakawa. There are five Division Urban Councils which are headed by the Division Chairpersons who are also known as the Division Mayors.
Website
Kampala, Uganda’s Capital City has a resident population of 1,738,000 (UBOS, 2022) which doubles during the day with an urbanization rate of 5.6%. Over 60% of the populace resides in informal dwellings and only 10-15% are connected to a formal sewerage system, On-Site Sanitation (OSS) facilities serve 90% of the residents. Consequently, emptying services become essential. Without them, informal pit emptiers may resort to illicit dumping, posing environmental and health risks. Improved sanitation access is critical for preventing gastro-enteric diseases like diarrhea and cholera.
Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) as part of its strategic direction for Sanitation and Environment 2025, has the mandate through the public health and environment directorate to facilitate and provide equitable services to ensure a healthy population in a clean, habitable and sustainable environment. The core functions under this mandate include Sanitation and Environment Management, Solid waste management, Landfill management, Health Inspection & Education, Water and Sanitation.
The Weyonje application is a key driver in advancing Sustainable Development Goal 6, which aims to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. It particularly addresses the needs of the urban poor who might not own smartphones by integrating the services of Community Activation Teams and Village Health Teams. This collaborative approach extends the reach of sanitation services to underserved communities, bridging the technology gap.
The app significantly increases the accessibility of toilet emptying services, facilitating a more sanitary living environment for the residents of Kampala. By simplifying the process of requesting and managing sanitation services, Weyonje is an essential component in the city's public health infrastructure.
The Weyonje ecosystem employs a multifaceted approach:
- Service Providers: Delivering essential emptying services with a focus on supporting the urban poor.
- Civil Society: The Community Activation Teams, comprising youth and women, promote behavioural change in sanitation practices and facilitate service access for the less privileged.
- Government: The National Information Technology Authority-Uganda (NITA-U) generously provides the necessary server space for hosting the app at no cost.
Expanding Impact: Beyond Service Provision
Healthcare Integration: The public health directorate has harnessed the app’s data to manage a medical call centre, addressing emergencies efficiently.
Data-Driven Reporting: Departments have adopted evidence-based data from the app for comprehensive reporting.
Policy Development: The Ministry of Health has introduced new sanitation indicators derived from the app’s data, enhancing public health measures.
Sanitation Governance: Efforts are underway to institutionalize the sanitation department, aiming for improved governance and service delivery.
Funding and Support: The initiative has attracted additional funding, receiving endorsements from international organizations like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Towards a Smart City: The app is a pivotal step in Kampala's transition to a 'smart city' framework, moving from traditional paper-based systems to modern, app-based service delivery.
The lead agency for the project is the Kampala City Council Authority. The broader team includes software developers, data scientist and data analysts to maintain the application. Service providers specializing in toilet emptying play a crucial role in operational execution. Additionally, the project involves a marketing component, where the media are engaged to promote the application. To ensure inclusivity, Community Activation Teams along with Village Health Teams facilitate outreach to the urban poor who lack smart phones but require access to the essential toilet emptying services.
The program collects and analyses a range of data for effective sanitation planning and resource allocation. Data points include customer details such as name, gender, and contact number, along with specifics of the sanitation service provided: the type of facility emptied, service provider details, customer location down to the division and parish, and the volume of sludge removed. This data, captured by a dedicated service provider dumping tool, also records the dump locations and the type of service provider (cesspool or gulper). Data scientists and biostatisticians analyse these metrics for informed planning, identifying communities in need of additional resources.
Significant outcomes of the initiative include:
- A 20% increase in the safe management of faecal sludge in informal settlements, achieved through equitable interventions like the subsidy model that focuses on the urban poor, improved access to household sanitation, and marketing strategies that foster a sustainable supply and demand for faecal sludge management (FSM) products and services.
- The establishment of a framework for the inclusion of women in sanitation decision-making and entrepreneurship, marked by a baseline assessment of current conditions, and the creation of forums to ensure women's participation at all levels and across the entire sanitation chain. This has led to the recruitment of women as service providers within the industry associations.
- A city-wide rise in the volume of safely managed fecal sludge to 80%, targeting transient populations and enhancing private sector involvement with innovative technologies through citywide initiatives.
- Enhanced regulatory frameworks for inclusive sanitation services, including the development of a spatially differentiated model to establish minimum service levels across the city and the bolstering of community-led sanitation improvement programs.
- The development of a Knowledge Management and Learning framework to disseminate scalable models and technologies nationwide. The Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) model is set to influence national policy, empower other municipalities, and inspire research to address service delivery gaps.
Transformations in community behaviour and service provider performance have been noted:
- Communities are moving from neglecting sanitation facilities to actively maintaining them.
- There has been an observed improvement in the efficiency, accountability, and transparency of service providers, with over 15,509 jobs completed and approximately 721 million cubic meters of waste safely processed.
- The project aims to safely manage 60% of faecal sludge in informal settlements by 2022, emphasizing support for the urban poor and continued access to sanitation.
- The regulatory framework for inclusive sanitation services has been strengthened through the development of tailored service level models and the support of community sanitation initiatives
Initially, the providers of toilet emptying services were apprehensive, fearing that the government’s intent behind collecting their operational data was to impose taxes and licensing fees. There was also a concern that the government might be aiming to usurp their livelihoods. To address these concerns and build trust, a Memorandum of Understanding was drafted and signed in partnership with the associations representing the service providers. This agreement clarified all terms and assuaged the providers’ fears by transparently outlining the project's goals and their roles within it.
This pioneering initiative is the first of its kind in Africa. Its uniqueness has garnered the attention of numerous African nations, who are keen to observe and learn from this innovation as a model for integrating new solutions into their sanitation sectors and institutional frameworks.
Key elements of the initiative include:
- The application of evidence-based data to inform policymaking and intervention strategies, particularly to support the urban poor in informal settlements.
- The fostering of synergistic partnerships between governmental bodies and the private sector.
The initiative's impact is evident in several ways:
- It enables other cities to enhance the accessibility of emptying services for residents.
- It assists service providers in developing small business profiles, cataloguing client interactions, and tracking revenue—practices that many previously did not employ.
- It contributes to the reduction of unauthorized waste disposal and the prevalence of illegal emptiers within communities.
External links / documents
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