President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, has broken his silence following a landslide at the Kiteezi landfill in Kampala City that left eight people dead.
In a statement on Sunday, August 11, Museveni expressed his condolences to the families who lost their loved ones in the incident.
“Fellow Ugandans, especially the Bazzukulu, Greetings. I extend my condolences to the families of the people who died yesterday as a result of part of the rubbish heap at Kiteezi (orubuungo) peeling off (kubeguka) and burying those living nearby,” he said.
He questioned how the authorities allowed people to build houses and live near dumpsites, noting that the smell alone is harmful to human health.
“The first question that comes to mind is: Who allowed people to live near such a potentially hazardous and dangerous heap? Even without peeling off and burying people, the effluent alone must be hazardous to health,” Museveni said.
Museveni explained that even traditional cow-dung and household refuse heaps were dangerous enough, as they were mainly organic, composed of cow-dung, banana peelings, and other household refuse.
According to the President, no settlement should be allowed below the rubbish mound because of the effluent.
“Even without the breaking off of part of the mound to bury people, the effluent alone would be unpleasant and hazardous. How much more dangerous is the Kiteezi mound, which is full of plastic?” he asked.
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Uganda Authorities Statement
On Saturday, August 10, the manager of the city waste, Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), stated that the morning landslide followed heavy rains, leading to the collapse of a section of the landfill.
“The Kampala Capital City Authority Landfill in Kiteezi has experienced a structural failure in the waste mass this morning, resulting in the collapse of a section of the landfill,” the KCCA said in a press release posted on its official handle on X, on Saturday.
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The authority reported that coordinated efforts with the police, related ministries, and the Uganda Red Cross Society successfully rescued 14 people.
“On a very sad note, eight people have been found dead so far—six adults and two children,” KCCA added.
The Kiteezi landfill has been Kampala’s only garbage dumpsite for decades and had grown into a large hill.
NTV Uganda’s footage showed people walking on a section of the landfill that had crushed parts of a house, while UBC Uganda’s pictures captured an excavator attempting to dig up garbage.
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