The government plans to establish a waste-processing facility closer to Kampala to reduce the long travel times currently experienced by garbage trucks transporting waste to distant disposal sites such as Buyala, while promoting recycling and value addition as part of a broader strategy to improve urban waste management.
Speaking during the commissioning of the rehabilitated section of the Kiteezi landfill on Wednesday, Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja said the rehabilitation project presents an opportunity to establish waste-processing industries closer to the capital. She cited the recent National Cleaning Day, during which some garbage trucks reportedly spent up to 20 hours completing a single round trip to the disposal site because of the long distance and heavy traffic congestion.
Nabbanja said Uganda should move beyond simply disposing of waste and instead invest in industries that recycle and add value to garbage, similar to systems she observed in countries such as Japan and the United Arab Emirates. She revealed that several investors, including the Ghana-based Jospong Group and other international companies, have expressed interest in investing in Kampala’s waste management sector, but efforts have been slowed by the lack of suitable land for such facilities.
“I am informed that 14 acres have already been rehabilitated,” Nabbanja said, noting that the restored section of Kiteezi has prompted discussions on whether the site could eventually accommodate waste-processing industries. The Prime Minister said the rehabilitation demonstrates the value of partnerships in addressing Kampala’s growing waste management challenges while creating opportunities for long-term investments in recycling and waste-to-value technologies.
She thanked the Government of Japan for providing a US$1.5 million grant through UN-Habitat that financed the rehabilitation works, describing the intervention as transformative. Nabbanja called on technical experts, the Government of Japan and UN-Habitat to examine whether the rehabilitated landfill can be further stabilised to host recycling and waste-processing industries.
She said the project aligns with Uganda’s Vision 2040 and the Fourth National Development Plan, both of which prioritise sustainable urban development. The Prime Minister also revealed that the government is developing plans to redevelop Kampala’s informal settlements in partnership with landowners, saying improved housing and urban infrastructure are essential to building a cleaner, safer and more sustainable city.State Minister for Kampala Kabuye Kyofatogabye urged Ugandans to embrace plastic recycling and support local manufacturing as work to restore the Kiteezi landfill continues. Kyofatogabye highlighted the use of locally manufactured plastic pipes in the rehabilitation works, saying they were produced by young Ugandan innovators based in Masanafu and demonstrate the potential of local industries to solve national challenges.
“Those pipes are the ones that have made the miracle here. But the most important thing is that these pipes are manufactured here in Uganda by these young Ugandans,” Kyofatogabye said. He said significant progress has been made but noted that only 14 of the planned 36 acres have so far been rehabilitated. “We still have 20 acres to accomplish,” he said, appealing for continued support from Japan to complete the remaining works.
Kyofatogabye said an additional US$2 million would help experts and local engineers extend the rehabilitation efforts and encouraged young Ugandans to venture into plastic recycling and manufacturing. “I am calling upon you, the younger Ugandans, please come and start taking all this plastic to manufacture more pipes to help in the miracle,” he said.
Japan’s Ambassador to Uganda Sasayama Takuya pledged continued support for Uganda’s efforts to improve waste management, stressing that sustainable solutions must extend beyond garbage collection. He said the Kiteezi landfill tragedy in 2024 exposed the urgent need for better planning and modern waste management systems. The ambassador welcomed the Prime Minister’s weekly Saturday cleanup initiative but cautioned that waste collection must be backed by effective disposal and processing systems.
“You need not only the effort, not only the dump trucks, but you have to have a plan where the waste is going,” he said. Sasayama noted that waste management is one of the key priorities under the Greater Kampala Master Plan supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), alongside transport, infrastructure and job creation.
The Kiteezi restoration project was undertaken following the collapse of the landfill in August 2024, which killed more than 30 people and displaced nearby residents. The rehabilitation, funded by the Government of Japan through JICA and implemented by UN-Habitat in partnership with the Government of Uganda, aims to stabilise the landfill, improve waste management and reduce future environmental risks-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
