EVIDENCE SURFACES: KCCA ED Kisaka was aware of impending disaster at Kiteezi months in advance but didn’t take action
- FEATUREDNEWS
- August 14, 2024
- No Comment
In a tragic event that has left Kampala reeling, the Kiteezi landfill collapsed over the weekend, engulfing homes and resulting in the deaths of 24 people, with many others still missing.
The catastrophe has ignited widespread outrage, as the public confronts the terrifying impact of alleged negligence by KCCA and its Executive Director, Dorothy Kisaka.
A month prior to the collapse, Dr. Daniel Ayen Okello from the KCCA’s Directorate of Public Health and Environment sent a memorandum to Kisaka and her Deputy, David Luyimbazi, alerting them to the imminent dangers at the Kiteezi landfill.
Dated July 2nd, 2024, the memorandum, which reached Kisaka’s office two days later, emphasized the serious operational issues at the landfill, caused by overcapacity. This situation had resulted in the creation of waste cliffs and unstable slopes.
The document detailed several recent incidents, such as the appearance of cracks and waste slides in the landfill’s northeastern section on June 28th, 2024. Furthermore, waste movement had obstructed the main drainage channel, causing leachate to affect a nearby farm.
The memo also highlighted the depletion of the operational area, which has been compromised by these ongoing problems.
Importantly, the memorandum specifically warned of the potential repercussions of not acting promptly. It highlighted that waste slides or a total landfill collapse could lead to loss of life and considerable property damage.
Additionally, it warned that such an incident would likely trigger litigation, causing significant financial losses for KCCA.
The memo also highlighted the potential for waste dumping operations to be suspended, which could incite public protests and result in the emergence of illegal dumping sites, worsening the situation.
Despite these explicit and pressing warnings, Kisaka and her administration took no substantial steps to resolve the issues at the landfill.
The public’s outrage and grief are palpable as they demand accountability for the lives lost and the destruction of homes.
Many are demanding that KCCA Executive Director Dorothy Kisaka and her administration be prosecuted, asserting that their repeated disregard for warnings constitutes culpable negligence.
Given that the risks were clearly documented and that preventative measures could have been implemented, the inaction of KCCA is deemed inexcusable.
As rescue teams persist in their efforts to find survivors and retrieve bodies, the affected communities are left grieving the tragic loss of life and questioning how such a catastrophe was permitted to occur.
This website attempted to contact the KCCA Executive Director for a comment on the concerns raised and the letter from the Directorate of Public Health and Environment, but the efforts were unsuccessful as her known contacts were unreachable.
