By Kampala, Uganda – The death toll from a devastating landslide at a massive garbage dump in Uganda’s capital, Kampala, has risen to 13, police confirmed on Sunday, as rescue teams continued their search for survivors.
Heavy rainfall in recent weeks triggered the landslide, causing a significant chunk of waste from the city’s only landfill site to collapse on Friday. The landslide swept through the area, crushing homes on the edge of the site as residents slept.
On Saturday, the Kampala Capital City Authority initially reported the death toll at eight. “The latest we have is 13 dead, but rescue services are continuing,” said police spokesperson Patrick Onyango. He added that at least 14 people had been rescued so far, but the actual number of those still trapped remains uncertain.
Temporary shelters have been set up for those displaced by the landslide, according to the Uganda Red Cross.
The landfill site, known as Kitezi, has long been the sole garbage disposal area for Kampala, accumulating waste over decades and eventually turning into a large hill. Residents have repeatedly raised concerns about the site, citing its detrimental impact on the environment and the health risks it poses. Prolonged efforts by city authorities to establish a new landfill have been hampered by delays.
Tragedies of this nature are not uncommon in Africa, where poorly managed municipal waste sites pose significant risks. In 2017, at least 115 people were killed in Ethiopia when a landslide struck a garbage dump in Addis Ababa. Similarly, in Mozambique, at least 17 people died in a landslide at a dump in Maputo in 2018.
The situation in Kampala underscores the urgent need for better waste management and infrastructure improvements to prevent such disasters in the future.
