Uganda needs policy to deal with e-waste

While researching on the likely influx of electronic waste (e-waste) after government announced plans to set up a computer refurbishment plant, I talked to the minister of Information and Communication Technology, Dr Ham Mulira, who dismissed the threat as “baseless and short-sighted”.

Three months later, at the opening of the e-government forum in Kampala, the minister owned up to his flawed opinion when he announced that the government plans to enact policy on e-waste.

Although the minister was non committal as to when the policy the policy will be drafted, his statement serves to remind us of the growing threat of e-waste in a country that is already grappling with disposal of municipal waste.

E-waste has recently become a cause for concern among developed and developing nations that have registered unprecedented growth in information and communication technologies.

While developed nations have laws that govern management of e-waste, developing countries lack the necessary laws. Thus, such countries as Uganda continue to register influx of second-hand electronics disposed of by developed nations. Anti e-waste laws compel leading electronic manufacturers to dispose of electronic waste in environmentally friendly manner.

Although Uganda does not generate such large quantities of e-waste as Nigeria and India, there are signs that e-waste could easily become a problem in the near future.

This likelihood is further compounded by the fact that the market for second electronics, whose technology is way past its sell by date, is flourishing. Many Ugandans have turned to second-hand electronics to circumvent the high prices of brand new items. Actually, the large part of business at Kisekka market is built on such trade. Such electronics as TV sets, computers, mobile phones, and fridges among others have become the biggest contributors of electronic waste.

Although the government has taken some commendable steps toward reducing the influx of second hand items by introducing tax on such imports, there are still gaps that need to be plugged. For instance such tax does not apply to second hand computers or mobile phones, opening a new frontier for the influx of yet another type of e-waste.

That is why the minister’s comments provide hope to Ugandans that the government has already noticed the looming problem and is taking necessary steps to correct it. But given the way the government conducts its business, it would not be surprising if it takes five years before such policy comes into effect. And judging from the minister’s tone, the policy is yet to be drafted. It is therefore important that the concerned ministry moves fast to draft and enact the policy expected to restore sanity into the growing spate of e-watse.