Scores feared dead, property destroyed in Kiteezi landfill collapse

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Scores of people are feares dead after garbage from a section of the Kampala Capital City Authority Landfill in Kiteezi buried houses, people and livestock this morning.

City authorities say that the landfill collapsed after a structural failure in waste mass. While several bodies have already been retrieved from the site, and confirmed by the community, the city authories say they have recorded no fatalities as yet.

“The level of damage is still being assessed. However no fatalities have been recorded at this time,” a statement attributed to the Executive Director reads. It adds the KCCA teams, along with other government agencies are on ground taking the necessary measures to ensure the area is secure and to prevent any further incidents,”

It adds that the teams are closely monitoring the situation to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the community.

The landfill, located in Wakiso District is a collection for refuse from all the five divisions of Kampala. Although it was originally designed for smaller volumes of waste, it is said to collect up to 2000 tons of garbage every day.

But in recent years, experts have cautioned that it presented both environmental and health risks the community dye to increasing volumes and poor waste management.

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