Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has started the process of hiring a consultant to assess the health and environmental risks at Buyala landfill in Mpigi as the authority searches for a lasting solution to the city’s growing garbage problem.
The plan was revealed during a parliamentary interface between KCCA officials and Parliament’s committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) at Parliament.
The committee was examining issues raised in the Auditor General’s report for the 2024/25 financial year, which raised concerns about the management of Buyala landfill and the risks it poses to people living near the site and workers who handle waste there.
The report highlighted several problems at the landfill, including the absence of weighbridges, lack of a proper perimeter fence, and inadequate systems for treating and managing waste.
The Auditor General also warned of health and environmental risks associated with the landfill, calling for urgent action to address the problems.
KCCA officials told the committee that they were still in the early stages of procuring a consultant to carry out a detailed assessment of the health and environmental impact of activities at the landfill.
Dorcus Tiberondwa, KCCA’s director of procurement, said the procurement process had reached the bidding stage.
“We are in the early stages of securing a consultant and the process is at bidding level,” Tiberondwa said.
The consultant is expected to help KCCA establish the extent of the health and environmental risks at the landfill and advise the authority on measures needed to address them.
The procurement follows advice from the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), which has been involved in regulating environmental issues related to waste management.
However, COSASE chairperson Muwada Nkunyingi questioned whether KCCA’s health department had adequately advised the authority about the risks at the landfill.
He asked Dr Sarah Zalwango, KCCA’s director of public health, to explain what advice she had given to the authority and whether she had raised concerns about the conditions at Buyala.
Dr Zalwango said she had repeatedly advised KCCA on the matter, including through written communication on environmental impact assessment issues.
“I have advised KCCA in writing, especially on the environmental impact assessment,” Dr Zalwango said.
She added that her advice had helped the authority avert several risks associated with the landfill.
Daniel Nuwe Abiine, the KCCA spokesperson, told journalists after the meeting that many of the concerns raised by the Auditor General had already been addressed.
He said the committee was examining the 2024/25 report, meaning some of the problems identified by the Auditor General may have been dealt with since the audit was carried out.
“You must know that the committee is handling the report of 2024/25, but all the issues highlighted in the report have since been worked upon,” Nuwe Abiine said.
“We have organised Buyala landfill to the standards, the land is in KCCA’s name, and we were also authorised by NEMA,” he added.
Muwada directed that COSASE should visit Buyala landfill to establish the actual situation on the ground.
“We need to go to Buyala and appreciate and see what has been done, especially since there are health threats to the people around these sites and the workers themselves. Then we shall call back KCCA for more talks,” he said.
The planned visit will allow MPs to establish whether the problems identified in the Auditor General’s report have been addressed and whether the landfill is being operated in line with health and environmental requirements.
The dispute comes as Kampala continues to struggle with the collection and disposal of solid waste.
Kampala generates thousands of tonnes of waste every day, putting pressure on the city’s waste collection and disposal systems.
A significant amount of waste in Kampala is left uncollected or ends up in illegal dumping sites, roadsides, and drainage channels, creating risks to public health and the environment.
