The government has approved Shs 4.3 billion to compensate victims of the Kiteezi landfill disaster, with payments set to begin on Friday December 26, Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has said.
Sharifah Buzeki, the KCCA executive director, said the payout marked the start of efforts to rehabilitate residents affected by the collapse of the Kiteezi landfill in August last year.
Buzeki, flanked by the deputy executive director Benon Moses Kigenyi, the director of public health and environment Dr Sarah Zalwango and other senior officials, was speaking to journalists during the authority’s Christmas and end of year press conference at City Hall.
“Plans have been finalised to pay out the victims of the Kiteezi landfill disaster in line with the report of the government chief valuer. Out of the 96 people initially identified, 75, plus two additional claimants, qualified for compensation,” Buzeki said.
She said all verified beneficiaries would have received their payments by Friday and confirmed that the Ministry of Finance had already deposited the money on KCCA’s account.
Buzeki clarified that the verified victims were those who lost houses and property when the landfill collapsed on August 10, 2024, an incident that claimed lives and destroyed property following garbage overaccumulation, excessive heat and related factors.
Referring to recent flooding in the city, Buzeki urged traders affected by the floods to trust the compensation process, saying an assessment report had already been submitted to the Office of the Prime Minister through the Ministry of Disaster Preparedness.
She said assessments were conducted in a structured manner, with each building represented by two people who documented affected shops and the goods or services offered. KCCA had, however, received appeals from traders seeking the inclusion of more beneficiaries.
She said: “We ask them to trust the process, which is already under way. President Museveni agreed that they should be compensated. We are now waiting for the procedures to be completed and no one will be left behind.”
Ahead of the 2026 general elections, she urged the media to report accurately, objectively and fairly, and to portray Kampala as a model polling area free from electoral malpractice.
