We are tired of garbage at our doorsteps - city dwellers
Some of the city leaders and dwellers participate in garbage collection during the Tweyonje campaign in Bukoto Mulimira Zone, Nakawa Division, Kampala, on April 26, 2025. PHOTO/SCREENGRAB/JANE NAFULA
What you need to know:
During the Tweyonje Campaign, several residents were encouraged to collect garbage at particular spots, after which KCCA trucks ferried it to the dumping site.
A section of Kampala residents have tasked Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) to strengthen law enforcement in residential areas so that individuals who dispose of waste in undesignated sites can be apprehended.
Speaking at the sidelines of the Tweyonje Campaign held at Bukoto Mulimira Zone in Nakawa Division on Saturday, Ms Jenifer Nakasaga, who operates a grocery in the area, said several residents continue to dispose of waste in drainage channels despite the availability of designated collection centres. The campaign, organised in partnership with Diamond Trust Bank and Buganda Kingdom, among other partners, saw individuals participate in garbage collection in Mulimira Zone. It is aimed at promoting good sanitation in the city.
"Every week, KCCA sends a truck to collect waste. Some women will simply sit in their houses and watch. When the truck leaves, you will see them dumping it into the drainage channel. They are really dirty and I think, arresting them might force them to change their mindset," Ms Nakasaga suggested.
Ms Mariam Magero, from Mbuya and one of the participants in the campaign, backed Ms Nakasaga’s suggestion, noting that talking alone would not change the situation.
"During the general cleanliness, we found heaps of waste placed on the verandas of some homes. Besides, a woman at one of the homesteads was not ashamed of pouring urine and her child's faeces into the drainage channel that the team was cleaning," Ms Magero said.
During the campaign, several residents were encouraged to collect garbage at particular spots, after which KCCA trucks ferried it to the dumping site. Ms Sharifah Buzeki, the executive director of KCCA, called for proper disposal of waste in both residential and commercial areas to promote good sanitation in the city.
Ms Buzeki acknowledged that some individuals were fond of dumping waste into drainage channels, especially during the rainy season, a practice that she said blocks the channels and exacerbates the challenge of floods.
Last month, three people in Kampala lost their lives to floods that the city experienced following the onset of heavy rains. She also confirmed that the authority had resumed daily enforcement under the Kampala City Law and Order Maintenance Regulations and the National Environment Act, which prohibits littering.
Mr Daniel Nuwabiine, the KCCA spokesperson, said the law also targets those who destroy the green zones. Mr Nuwabiine said several individuals caught on the wrong side of the law have been arrested and remanded. He said daily enforcement of the law has started with the central division but will spread to all divisions.
Ms Mariam Nkalubo Mayanja, the minister of Environment and Human Development in Buganda, tasked KCCA to ensure that waste at dumping sites is recycled to prevent bad smells and accidents, citing the Kiteezi incident. On August 9, 2024, Kiteezi landfill in Wakiso District collapsed, killing over 30 people and displacing hundreds of families.
In response, the government immediately started the search for an investor who would commence the decommissioning of Kitezi, with Jospong, a Ghanaian company, being proposed. However, the search for a suitable company continues, according to City authorities.
