Uganda Civil Aviation Authority-UCAA has commenced the refurbishment of the external public toilet facility, days after a passenger complained about them being in an appalling state.
The passenger recorded a video that went viral over the weekend, indicating that the facility was poorly lit and in a deplorable state. He noted that the facility was not befitting of an international airport, and that users could also contract infections.
Uganda Civil
Aviation Authority-UCAA has started refurbishing public toilets outside Entebbe
International Airport. It comes days after a passenger circulated a video
message on social media exposing the sorry state of the facility.
In the
message, the passenger complained that the toilets were poorly lit, dirty and
unsuitable for use at an international airport. The toilet facility is adjacent
to the garbage house and the new public parking lot at the airport.
In response, UCAA issued a statement saying the “trending
video of toilet facilities doesn’t reflect the facilities used by passengers
and users of Entebbe International Airport.” The regulator explained
that the facility is neither used by departing nor arriving passengers because they
do not interface with the facility at any point in their travel.
"Even people with business to undertake at the airport don’t
access this facility because they utilise the adequate terminal facilities,”
the statement reads. The statement explained that the passenger terminal
building has interior washroom facilities commensurate with an international
airport environment that are used by passengers and other users within the
arrivals and departure halls among other areas.
UCAA also revealed that there is an appropriate public
facility near the airport gate that can be used by the few people without
business in the airport, especially now that unnecessary crowding near the
terminal is discouraged owing to the need for social distancing.
Nevertheless, UCAA has started refurbishing the facility in question. Our
reporter visited the public toilets this on Tuesday morning and found three men
working on the ladies wing. One of the workers was mixing concrete, another scrubbing
the walls to remove old paint while the third man was resting.
Outside, two men were painting the gents’ side while another
was cleaning the facility. Inside the ladies, there are 6 toilet units and 4
washrooms. Though the doors have been painted, the walls and toilet seats need
refurbishment. However, it is hard to use the toilets in their current
condition. On the gent’s side, three florescent bulbs have been fixed to
improve lighting.
In the video, only one bulb was on. The gents that has 7
toilet units, 4 washrooms and one urinal, is undergoing major renovations such
as plastering and floor works. In an
hour, only one lady had used the facility compared to ten men at the gent’s
side.
These users are either airport taxi operators or visitors. Some
of these users, mostly the men, say UCAA should have refurbished the public
toilets before the reopening of Entebbe Airport after the lockdown.
//Cue in: “They are painting….
Cue out:…earlier than that.”//
The workers say that the renovation works will be completed by end of the week,
adding that similar works were carried out in January 2019.
