Lukwago Says President Museveni Neglected Kiteezi Landfill Crisis

Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago has castigated the executive for negligence of duty regarding the Kiteezi landfill.

On Saturday morning, a section of garbage in the Kiteezi landfill gave way, burying houses. By press time, KCCA had confirmed 21 deaths related to the disaster. While KCCA blames a structural accident as they launch investigations, public sentiment has placed the authority on the spot.

It was no different on Monday morning when Lukwago joined in the castigation of state institutions. While speaking to journalists, Lukwago confirmed that his administration had persistently raised the Kiteezi issue. However, according to the Lord Mayor, all their pleas have fallen on deaf ears.

“We brought out all facts that needed to be interrogated. Additionally, we made a clarion call for action to be taken. Even this year we warned them, we told them [government] that we have a catastrophe in waiting here. The place was a time bomb.” said Erias Lukwago.

Lukwago also confirmed that their calls for action are as recent as this year. He revealed that he visited the site earlier this year and his observations were scary. During his January tour, he found equipment like excavators and bulldozers in poor condition. On the contrary, they are hired at high costs. The leachate treatment plant was also inoperational.

During the January visit, they discovered that the weigh-bridge was missing, causing garbage delivery estimations. With all these revelations in January, the Lord Mayor expected the government to treat this as a priority. To his dismay, he didn’t get a response from the president, Parliament, or any other state bodies.

Lukwago Blames President

“Even in KCCA, we made a very comprehensive report that I can share with you [media]. We had an emergency meeting where my colleagues and I presented a damning report about this catastrophe. We even gave KCCA information about how money was being squandered.” said the Lord Mayor.

The FDC Katonga Road faithful also advised President Museveni to stop being reactionary. According to Lukwago, the catastrophe would have been avoided if the president had acted timely. He castigated the president for sleeping on the job.

Lukwago has been Lord Mayor since 2011 when he left Parliament to join City Hall. In 2011, KCCA announced that the landfill had reached its capacity. At the time, they had plans to shift waste disposal to Mukono District.