Fiona Nanna, ForeMedia News

4 minutes read. Updated 5:00AM GMT Mon, 12August, 2024

In a tragic incident that has rocked Uganda’s capital city of Kampala, the Kiteezi landfill site has collapsed, leading to the confirmed death of at least 21 individuals, with the number expected to rise. The incident, which occurred late Friday, has also left fourteen people injured, according to police reports.

The Kiteezi landfill, a critical waste disposal site serving much of Kampala, experienced a catastrophic collapse, believed to have been triggered by intense rainfall. Initial investigations suggest a “structural failure in waste mass” may have contributed to the disaster. The Kampala Capital City Authority has confirmed that among the deceased are at least two children.

Patrick Onyango, spokesperson for the Kampala Metropolitan Police, reported that authorities have recovered 21 bodies from the site. “We are still in the process of verifying the exact number of casualties. Local authorities are providing varying figures, and we are working to obtain accurate data from the Uganda Bureau of Statistics,” Onyango stated. Efforts are underway to contact the families of the victims and engage with local community leaders to gather further information.

The Kiteezi landfill is situated on a steep slope in a marginalized area of Kampala, where many residents rely on scavenging plastic waste for their livelihoods. This hazardous proximity has led to the construction of homes near the unstable landfill. Despite plans since 2016 to relocate the waste disposal operations to a safer, larger site outside the city, these plans have yet to be realized.

President Yoweri Museveni has ordered a thorough investigation into the incident, raising questions about why residential areas were permitted to develop so close to the precarious landfill. In a series of posts on the social media platform X, Museveni highlighted the urgent need for addressing the dangers posed by such unstable waste sites.