“Waste management in Kinshasa: a challenge that meets urban challenges”
The city of Kinshasa faces a major challenge: the daily management of 30,000 tons of waste, requiring an exorbitant budget of $900,000 per day for their disposal. This problem was revealed by Godé Mpoy Kadima, former president of the Provincial Assembly of Kinshasa, during a debate on the unsanitary conditions, traffic jams and anarchic constructions in the Congolese capital.
During this debate, Godé Mpoy strongly criticized the lack of concrete data in the parliamentary report, highlighting obsolete references dating back to the 1990s, 2000s and 2004. He highlighted the lack of updated information on the quantity of waste produced daily and on the state of the road network in Kinshasa. With only 850 kilometers of asphalted roads out of a total of 3,850 kilometers, the Congolese capital is faced with an insufficient and often poor quality road network.
The construction of infrastructure such as the Elengesa road at a cost of three million dollars per kilometer was also singled out by Godé Mpoy. He denounced financial waste and called for investigations to shed light on possible embezzlement of funds. According to him, the recovery of these embezzled funds would go a long way in solving the road problems of the capital.
Godé Mpoy insisted on the crucial importance of respecting the powers defined by the Constitution in terms of urban management. He recalled that roads and housing fall under the exclusive powers of the provinces, in accordance with the fundamental law. As legislators, he stressed the need to respect these texts to guarantee efficient and equitable urban management.
On traffic jams, Godé Mpoy acknowledged that this issue falls under competing jurisdictions, but stressed that regular road maintenance and regulation of unplanned construction could contribute to sustainable solutions. He called on the parliamentary committee to review its report by including updated data and recommendations adapted to the current reality of Kinshasa.
In conclusion, Godé Mpoy expressed his disagreement with the representativeness of the parliamentary report, believing that it did not reflect the reality of Kinshasa. As a former leader of the city, he stressed the need for a more relevant approach and action to address the urban challenges facing the Congolese capital.
In a constantly expanding city like Kinshasa, waste management and road infrastructure are crucial issues to ensure the quality of life of its residents. It is imperative that the relevant authorities take concrete measures to improve the current situation and ensure a more sustainable urban future for all.