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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Police rescue teams battled a second fire outbreak at the Kiteezi landfill in Wakiso District for several hours on Tuesday evening. According to Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) spokesperson Daniel Nuwabine, the fire started around 8:00 pm but was extinguished by 11:00 pm, thanks to a swift response from police and KCCA teams.
Nuwabine stated that there were no casualties, but the exact cause of the fire remains unclear. He added that KCCA will release an update once investigations are complete. “The fire was raging around 8 pm, but by 11 pm, it was extinguished by the police and our team. We don’t know the cause yet, but we’ll issue a statement on Wednesday with our findings,” Nuwabine said.
He further noted that the KCCA Executive Director, her deputy, and the State Minister for Kampala visited the scene and urged residents to maintain a safe distance from the landfill. “After the fire was extinguished, they advised the community to stay away from this decommissioned landfill and warned against allowing children to play there. Our investigation into the fire has begun,” Nuwabine added.
In February this year, the Kiteezi landfill caught fire due to accumulated methane gas beneath its surface, just months after a partial collapse claimed over 35 lives. In the August incident, reports suggested that a methane gas explosion might have triggered the disaster. Some survivors claimed to have heard explosions from the direction of buried houses before the collapse.
This latest fire has reignited concerns about the site’s safety and the effectiveness of recent rehabilitation efforts, with nearby residents expressing fears over air pollution and health risks from toxic fumes.
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