Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has secured Shs25 billion in government funding to kick-start the first phase of an integrated waste management facility at Buyala in the current financial year.
The initial phase will involve constructing a waste sorting bay, fencing off the approximately 230-acre site and procuring 10 garbage trucks to improve waste collection and transportation across Kampala.
KCCA Executive Director Sharifah Buzeki disclosed the plans on Wednesday while appearing before Parliament’s Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE), chaired by Muwada Nkunyingi.
Buzeki told the committee that the investment would strengthen waste collection while laying the groundwork for sorting and recovering reusable materials from garbage generated by households, businesses and institutions.
She said a weighbridge had already been installed at the Buyala site, adding that KCCA was awaiting the full master plan from the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA).
The Authority also intends to partner with private investors to establish waste processing and recovery facilities at the site. According to Buzeki, space has been reserved for about six companies to design, finance, construct and operate the facilities before eventually handing them over. KCCA also plans to develop its own waste recovery facility.
The initiative is expected to improve waste separation, encourage recycling and facilitate the recovery of valuable materials, helping Kampala adopt more sustainable waste management practices.
During the committee meeting, Zombo District Woman Representative Topista Acamfua praised KCCA’s community sensitisation efforts but called for the installation of more public dustbins to make it easier for residents to dispose of waste responsibly.
Buzeki assured the legislators that the Authority would provide additional dustbins.
Buzaaya County MP Mugabi Muzaale Martin Kisule welcomed the planned recycling initiative and sought clarification on whether KCCA pays private garbage collectors.
Buzeki said the Authority does not pay private collectors, explaining that waste management is guided by the polluter-pays principle under Uganda’s National Environment Act. The principle requires those who generate waste to bear the cost of managing it.
On the rehabilitation of the former Kiteezi landfill, Buzeki reported that at least 16 acres had been restored, while 95 of the 96 affected people had received compensation.
She added that KCCA had established facilities to treat leachate — contaminated liquid produced by waste — through a natural process lasting 21 days before its release, as part of efforts to reduce environmental risks at the site.
The Buyala project is part of KCCA’s broader strategy to strengthen garbage collection, improve waste sorting and recycling, and establish a more sustainable system for managing waste generated across the capital.
