A fire has broken out at the decommissioned Kiteezi landfill, Daily Star can reliably report. The blaze erupted at around 9 p.m.
This marks the second time a fire has occurred at the decommissioned landfill, the first incident having been recorded on February 8, 2025. Prior to this year, no major incidents had been reported.
In August 2024, a massive landslide struck the Kiteezi landfill after a week of continuous rainfall in the area. The landslide, which occurred at night, caused a section of the garbage heap to collapse onto houses located along its edge.
According to Patrick Onyango, the spokesperson for Kampala Metropolitan Police, at least 30 people were confirmed to have died in the collapse.
The 36-acre Kiteezi landfill is the only dumping site serving Kampala City, which has a population of approximately four million. With the city generating between 1,500 and 2,000 tonnes of waste daily and limited recycling practices in place, the landfill remains severely overloaded.
Following the tragic incident, in October 2024, former Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Executive Director Dorothy Kisaka, her former deputy David Luyimbazi, and the former Director of Public Health and Environment, Daniel Okello, were arrested, charged, and remanded to Luzira Prison.
The trio faced 57 charges, including 35 counts of manslaughter and 22 counts of causing grievous harm.
In November, the Kasangati Magistrates Court granted them bail, setting a cash requirement of Shs 5 million each, along with Shs 100 million in non-cash bond for each of their sureties. Chief Magistrate Beatrice Kainza directed that the sureties be bonded at Shs 100 million, not in cash, with the responsibility to ensure the accused appear in court on November 26, 2024.
