The Kampala Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago, has warned Kiteezi residents of a pending second landfill collapse that could be catastrophic.
Lukwago made the announcement while addressing members of the press at City Hall in Kampala on Monday, October 14, 2024, where he was giving the City Executive Committee’s (CEC) position on the management of the Kiteezi waste slide aftermath.
According to Lukwago, he has received a warning letter from the Minister of State for Relief and Disaster Preparedness, Lillian Aber, dated October 11, 2024, warning of the likely second Kiteezi landfill collapse.
“We have received a new disturbing report from the National Emergency Coordination Centre about the nature and status of the garbage mountain in Kiteezi, and due to the current heavy rains, there is a threat of a second landfill collapse,” Lukwago said.
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The letter was requesting that residents be mobilized and warned against the likelihood of a second disaster.
“This is to request that you urgently mobilize and warn the population around the landfill of the risk and advise them to vacate to save lives. Please treat this communication with the urgency that it deserves,” part of the letter read.
Lukwago further accused the government of their disjointed coordination conducted by the Office of the Prime Minister, saying it is ineffectual with no concrete, tangible results so far registered as they have isolated KCCA, who are key stakeholders.
“The most unfortunate bit is that key institutions like KCCA that would ordinarily play a pivotal role in the management of the crisis have been relegated to the fringes with no authority whatsoever to take binding decisions,” Lukwago noted.
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With two months after the first Kiteezi landfill collapse, many people are still stranded on where to go, as the compensation of UGX 2 million is not enough to enable a new start somewhere else away from Kiteezi.
According to Sarah Nampiima, a mother of three who has been staying in the camp for the last two months, the money given to her can only get her temporary shelter for a few months.
“I had my own house here and I wasn’t paying rent; now it has been taken down, and I have to go somewhere with my children and rent, and this money can’t even sustain me for a few months,” she said.
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In an interview with Persis Namuganza, the State Minister for Lands, Housing, and Urban Development, on October 3, 2024, committed that the government was planning to construct low-cost houses for those affected by the landfill collapse, saying the UGX 2 million was just a temporary solution for the victims.
On August 10, 2024, the Kiteezi landfill collapsed in Kasangati town council, Wakiso district, killing over 35 people and leaving many displaced.
The landfill has been decommissioned, and people staying around Kiteezi have been warned that the incident could happen anytime, though some still remain hesitant and have refused to leave the place.
