The Global Alliance on Health and Pollution (GAHP) has raised concern over the growing waste crisis in Kampala, warning that poor waste management is pushing the city toward a public health and environmental disaster.
Speaking during the Environmental Pollution Programme (EPP-UG) Conference at Hotel Africana this week, GAHP Executive Director Maria Paola Lia said Uganda must act fast to control pollution and improve waste handling, or risk paying the price through increased disease and infrastructure damage.
“We need practical, actionable solutions that reduce deaths and illnesses caused by pollution,” Lia stressed, adding that GAHP is supporting governments globally to prioritise pollution control and improve public health.
The two-day conference, held from October 6–7, 2025, brought together more than 80 participants from key sectors — including the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA), Ministry of Water and Environment, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture, academia, civil society, and private sector actors.
The meeting, organised in partnership with GAHP and funded by the UK Government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), focused on Uganda’s growing pollution challenge and the urgent need for joint action.
Kampala’s Truck Trouble
During the same conference, James Bond Kunobere, Deputy Director for Sanitation and Environment Management at Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), revealed that the city’s waste management system is collapsing under pressure due to a shortage of operational garbage trucks.
KCCA currently has a fleet of 28 compaction trucks, but only 15 to 18 are functional at any given time. The rest, Kunobere said, are grounded due to frequent breakdowns and lack of spare parts.
We are appealing to government to provide at least 15 new trucks every three years,” he said. “If we had about 100 trucks, each serving a parish, we could clear all waste in Kampala.”
He explained that the trucks wear out quickly because of the methane gas and heat produced as garbage decomposes during transportation, which corrodes metal and makes compaction less effective.
Health, Infrastructure at Risk
Kunobere warned that poor waste management does not only make Kampala unsightly — it also fuels disease outbreaks, damages infrastructure, and endangers lives.
“When waste blocks drainage channels, flooding destroys roads, property is lost, and people suffer. The government ends up spending more on treatment for preventable diseases,” he said, urging for greater investment in sanitation.
He further noted that neglecting the issue could harm Kampala’s reputation as a growing urban centre.
