A Year Later, Ugandan Communities Still Facing Devastating Garbage Collapse
Uganda’s landfill disaster: a 2024 tragedy
On August 9, 2024, the Kiteezi dumping ground in Kampala spiraled into a deadly collapse, taking the lives of 35 people. The site, the city’s largest since 1996, had been overloaded with about 2,500 tonnes of waste each day.
Lives lost and survivors’ plight
- Thirty‑five people died as a mud‑and‑garbage avalanche raged towards the Kiteezi slopes. The fallen waste stopped only at the doorstep of 31‑year‑old Zamhall Nansamba, who had grabbed her children and fled to safety.
- Nearly 240 people were displaced during the collapse and the subsequent search for bodies. Many still lack official compensation.
- Shadia Nanyongo’s home was buried, leaving her family to share one cramped room with six other relatives. The family struggles on a single meal a day, sharing two mattresses on the floor.
- Nansamba’s household remains on the edge of the landfill, surrounded by the stench of garbage and an infestation of vermin. Her children suffer bacterial infections at least three times a month.
Why the collapse could have been avoided
Ivan Bamweyana, a geomatics scholar at Makerere University, said the landfill had built up vertically for a decade until it reached a height of roughly 30 metres. When rain seeped into its cracks on that fateful morning, the dead‑weight cascade began.
Bamweyana warned that the risk at the site is still present, and that the Kiteezi collapse could have been prevented with better planning. He suggested that the city adopt a new landfill only after consulting with local environmental authorities.
New landfill site and legal concerns
The Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) announced a new landfill in Mpigi district, roughly 30 kilometres from the city centre, with compensation expected in September.
The National Forestry Authority (NFA) said the selected site infringes on a protected forest and wetlands reserve, and that dumping began in late 2024 without proper knowledge. “They did it hurriedly (and) illegally,” the NFA spokesperson Aldon Walukamba said.
Broader context: waste in Africa
Uganda’s disaster echoes other recent failures: a 2017 collapse in Ethiopia killed 116 people; a 2018 landslide in Mozambique, caused by heavy rain, claimed 17 lives.
Western countries ship vast amounts of “second‑hand” waste to Africa. In 2019, the U.S. exported around 900 million items of used clothing to Kenya alone, more than half of which were labeled as waste.
Moving forward: what’s needed?
Bamweyana argues that waste management must pivot from reactive demolition to proactive education about recycling and responsible disposal. “We cannot keep solving the problem with the same mechanisms that created it,” he said.
Key Takeaways
- The Kiteezi landfill collapse killed 35 people and displaced nearly 240 families.
- Compensation remains pending, with many survivors still living in distressing conditions.
- The disaster highlighted ineffective waste management and the need for collaborative, environmentally‑safe solutions.
- Future landfill projects must heed environmental regulations and involve local authorities.
