Churches urge help after rubbish site collapse kills dozens in Uganda

YAOUNDÈ, Cameroon – Church leaders in Uganda have expressed sadness at the high number of deaths after piled-up rubbish collapsed at a vast landfill in the country’s capital, Kampala.

The 36-acre garbage dump known as Kiteezi serves the whole of Kampala, and gave way August 9. The avalanche of trash swept away people, homes, animals and farmlands.

At least 35 people were confirmed dead by the police on August 19. Another 28 others were still missing.

Members of the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda that includes the Catholic Bishops’ Conference have expressed their spiritual closeness with the victims.

“Our hearts go out to the people of Kiteezi who have been affected by the tragic collapse of the landfill,” the council said on ‘X’ previously known as Twitter.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of life, the injuries, and the damage to property. Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this incredibly difficult time,” the council said.

Robert Kabushenga, a Ugandan lawyer and corporate executive writing on ‘X’ noted that “Kampala is now collapsing under the weight of waste. Those responsible don’t care!”

In an August 19 statement, the Members of the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda expressed gratitude to the government and humanitarian agencies like the Uganda Red Cross “for the immediate response, especially in evacuation of victims from the danger zones and calamity affected areas to a safer zone.”

They said they were grateful for the government of Uganda for offering financial support to victims “that have lost relatives and property in this calamity.”

“We extend appreciation to the religious fraternity, communities and the local authorities for the prompt response to save lives and property before the rescue teams were dispatched. We thank the organizations and individuals that have responded and provided essential basic support to the affected persons so as to enable quicker recovery and restoration. We specifically thank the Parish Priest of Kiteezi, and All Saints Cathedral – Church of Uganda for providing space to host the affected families,” the statement continued.

The Church leaders also commended the security forces for the prompt response and for keeping order and providing security to the campsite hosting the affected families.

“As the religious fraternity in the country, we share and feel the pains of the victims, especially those who have lost family members, lost property and their entire livelihoods under circumstances that could have been prevented. It is our earnest prayer that God will grant you the grace and fortitude to cope with this tragedy as a family, community and as a country,” the statement said.

They prayed that God should restore what’s been lost in greater measure. They came up with a 5-point list of steps the government needs to take to address the situation.

They called on the government to act promptly on advice and warnings by technical and professional personnel related to projected disasters by regulators such as the National Environmental Authority (NEMA) to avoid such catastrophes.

“The IRCU noted that guidance was provided to KCCA early enough regarding cessation of usage of Kiteezi dumping site, unfortunately, it was not heeded to,” the Church leaders noted.

They called on various structures for social workers, humanitarian organizations, religious and faith-based institutions to provide psycho-social support and counseling to victims of the disaster for complete healing and restoration.

They also urged the government to set up a special livelihoods and housing project for the victims to ensure quick economic recovery, and ensure long-term community and household resilience.

Ultimately, the government needs to start the process of reforming the waste management policy and system to ensure a coordinated approach to the organic waste management framework within the country.

Environmentalist Raymond James told Crux the Kiteezi landfill collapse “has brought to light the urgent need for a review of waste management practice in our community.”

“As we reflect on this tragedy, it’s essential to focus on actionable solutions that can prevent such incidents in the future,” he said.

The Ugandan government says it will decommission the landfill that receives 2,500 tons of garbage daily.

Addressing the country’s parliament, the Minister of State for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, Lillian Aber said the government has already “identified potential sites in Menvu, Nansana and Busumamura in Kira Municipality.”

She said modern waste management strategies will be used going forward.

“Our focus is on implementing incineration and recycling methods to ensure that waste disposal is sustainable and environmentally friendly. We are committed to transforming how we manage waste in Uganda to prevent such tragedies in the future,” Aber said.

Members of the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda said they are committed “to ensuring that the Kiteezi disaster victims are supported using our different structures, particularly by ensuring access to both human, material and other financial resources through lobbying for public donations, providing volunteers where need be, providing medical assortments and food while contributing to disaster response and recovery.”