Struggling with waste catastrophe a year later in Uganda
A Transformative Waste Management Shift in Kampala: Decommissioning Kiteezi Landfill and the Controversial Buyala Project
Following the tragic August 2024 landslide at the Kiteezi landfill, which claimed the lives of at least 34 people and left more than 220 residents homeless, the waste management situation in Kampala has undergone a significant transformation [1][2][3]. The Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) is actively working towards decommissioning the old landfill and transitioning to a more sustainable, integrated waste system.
The KCCA has secured a $1 million grant from the Japanese government via UN-Habitat to stabilize and rehabilitate seven acres of the Kiteezi landfill, addressing dangerous issues such as gas emissions, leachate leakage, drainage, and unstable slopes to prevent further hazards [1][2][3].
For the new landfill at Buyala (Mpigi district), KCCA has acquired 230 hectares designated for a state-of-the-art Integrated Waste Management and Resource Recovery Facility. This new site is planned to be a "game-changing" facility that will handle waste by reducing, recycling, converting it into energy, and safely disposing of residual materials, marking a shift from simple dumping to a holistic waste cycle management approach [1][2][3].
However, the Buyala site has faced controversy over environmental and legal concerns because it overlaps with what some stakeholders claim is a forest reserve in the catchment area of the Mayanja River, a key contributor to Lake Victoria's ecosystem [4]. The KCCA insists the land near Buyala, where garbage is now being dumped, belonged to two private individuals from whom KCCA legally acquired the land in March [5].
The controversy has sparked court cases about the legality of using Buyala land for waste management. KCCA maintains that the land was legally acquired, and an official investigation confirmed it is not part of the forest reserve [4]. Meanwhile, unsorted waste continues to be dumped there pending development of the new facility, though the lack of investors and funding remains a challenge [4].
In an effort to address the waste management crisis, KCCA is actively promoting community involvement through public clean-ups, sensitization campaigns, and employing vulnerable residents under SACCOs to help maintain city cleanliness [1][2].
Zamhall Nansamba, a resident of Kiteezi, stands in front of her house that is dwarfed by Kampala's municipal landfill. The landslide buried more than 70 houses and destroyed her family's rental apartments, leaving them unable to pay for her children's school fees [6]. The victims of the 2024 Kiteezi landslide are still awaiting compensation, but a recent government directive aims to settle these claims soon [4].
This phase in Kampala's waste management reflects a transition from crisis reaction to planned, sustainable infrastructure despite ongoing challenges. The new landfill at Buyala, though embroiled in legal and ecological debates, is poised to be Kampala’s new integrated waste facility. The Kiteezi landfill, on the other hand, is being safely decommissioned and stabilized with international support.
- The government, through UN-Habitat, has received a $1 million grant from the Japanese government to address dangerous issues at the Kiteezi landfill, which is part of an ongoing transformation in Kampala's waste management.
- The media has been reporting on the controversy surrounding the Buyala site, which has been acquired by KCCA for a state-of-the-art Integrated Waste Management and Resource Recovery Facility, due to environmental and legal concerns.
- Investors and funding remain a challenge for the development of the new facility at Buyala, and in the meantime, unsorted waste continues to be dumped there.
- The science of environmental-science plays a crucial role in evaluating the impact of waste management facilities on the environment, as demonstrated in the debates over the Buyala site that overlaps with a forest reserve and the Mayanja River catchment area.
- The finance sector, through initiatives like SACCOs, is playing a part in helping address Kampala's waste management crisis by employing vulnerable residents to maintain city cleanliness.
