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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Garbage trucks, operated by the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), have been stranded at division headquarters for five days after being turned away from the dumping sites in Mukono and Nansana. Despite the government’s announcement in August that Katikolo in Mukono District and Menvu Busukuma in Nansana Municipality had replaced Kiteezi as garbage dumping sites, KCCA trucks have repeatedly been denied access to these sites.
Local leaders in the municipalities cited KCCA’s failure to meet the conditions set by the authorities for waste disposal. In Mukono, municipal leaders have accused KCCA of failing to meet several conditions, including fencing the landfill, providing an immediate connection for residents around Katikolo to the national water grid to prevent water contamination, and grading the roads leading to the landfill.
These conditions remain unfulfilled, and as a result, the trucks have been denied entry. URN reporters observed three garbage trucks parked at the Kawempe Division headquarters, having been turned away from both Katikolo and Menvu since Thursday. Badril Makumbi, Deputy Mayor of Kawempe Division, explained that the trucks had no alternative but to wait at the division headquarters until the issue was resolved.
Makumbi stressed that the garbage situation was becoming a health crisis in both Kawempe and Kampala at large. He criticized the government for not addressing the garbage problem seriously. He also pointed out two key issues plaguing Kampala’s waste management: the lack of suitable dumping sites and an insufficient number of garbage trucks, leading to extended trips to Mukono and delays in waste collection.
“We call upon KCCA to give us more trucks; we have only three trucks in Kawempe Division, which cannot handle anything. On top of the long distances, I am getting calls from people asking why trucks no longer reach their areas. This is putting the lives of our people at risk,” Makumbi said.
Tomas Bagonza, the Wandegeya Parish Councillor, noted that in response to the crisis, they had started self-organized sensitization campaigns to encourage safer waste management practices and waste reduction strategies. They are also exploring affordable alternatives for recycling and waste disposal.
“Due to the situation in Kampala, we have started planning as local leaders to see if it’s possible to have these mechanisms in place, otherwise, our lives are at risk,” Bagonza explained.
Some Kawempe residents lamented that KCCA’s garbage collection trucks have been neglecting densely populated areas such as Bwaise, Katanga, and Kalerwe for weeks, leaving trash to pile up and posing significant health risks.
Sources at City Hall revealed that KCCA and municipal leaders from Mukono and Nansana have reached an agreement on waste management terms and have restored the clearance for dumping services. However, attempts to get a comment from KCCA’s spokesperson, Daniel Nuwabine, were unsuccessful despite repeated calls.
KCCA’s ongoing struggle to secure an alternative waste disposal site has contributed to a city-wide garbage crisis, with uncollected waste overwhelming many areas of Kampala. This situation has sparked concerns and frustration among residents since the Kiteezi tragedy.
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