The Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has secured Shs 357 billion to begin the decommissioning of the Kiteezi landfill, following a tragic landslide in August 2024 that left 30 people dead, Daily Star has learned.
The announcement was made by Sharifah Buzeki, the new Executive Director of KCCA, during a press briefing earlier this week.
“We have started decommissioning Kiteezi, flattening garbage heaps using a USD 1 million grant from the Government of Japan, channeled through UN-Habitat, to address the immediate high-risk zones at the landfill,” Buzeki stated.
The initial phase of the intervention will focus on seven acres of the 39-acre site targeting dangerous steep slopes, gas emissions, leachate management, and improved drainage. Buzeki noted that this is part of a larger plan to remediate and repurpose the rest of the heavily burdened landfill.
The Kiteezi landfill, located in Wakiso District, is Kampala’s only official dumping site, serving a population of nearly four million people. It receives between 1,500 and 2,000 tonnes of waste daily, with limited recycling or waste diversion mechanisms in place. Long declared full and unsafe, the landfill has operated far beyond its intended capacity.
In August 2024, following days of unrelenting rainfall, a landslide tore through the site at night, causing a section of the massive garbage heap to collapse onto homes at the edge of the dump. Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson Patrick Onyango confirmed that at least 30 lives were lost in the disaster.
In the aftermath, public outrage was swift and legal consequences followed. In October 2024, former KCCA Executive Director Dorothy Kisaka, her deputy David Luyimbazi, and 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, tied to negligence in managing the landfill’s known risks.
In November, the Kasangati Magistrates Court granted them bail, setting a cash requirement of Shs 5 million each, with Shs 100 million non-cash bond for each of their sureties. Chief Magistrate Beatrice Kainza ruled that the sureties would be held accountable to ensure the accused appear in court.
Buzeki revealed that one of KCCA’s biggest achievements this year is the acquisition of a 230-hectare site in Buyala, Mpigi, earmarked for the development of a modern Integrated Waste Management and Resource Recovery Facility.
“This new site is a direct response to the longstanding crisis at Kiteezi. It represents a turning point in how Kampala handles urban waste,” she said.
The Buyala facility is expected to incorporate advanced waste processing technologies, recycling infrastructure, and energy recovery all aimed at reducing the city’s growing environmental and public health burden.
