Lukwago: Kampala City sitting on “death trap”

KAMPALA, UGANDA | THE INDEPENDENT | The Kampala Lord Mayor Elias Lukwago has urged the government to release at least 1.3 trillion shillings from the contingency fund to address the city’s pressing issues and prevent more catastrophic comings.

Addressing a news conference at City Hall in Kampala, Lukwago has urgently called on the government to reallocate funds to address critical, yet unfunded, priorities in Kampala, saying that without swift action, the city could become a death trap.

“Kampala will continue to struggle with dysfunctionality unless we address the long-neglected urgent needs,” Lukwago emphasized. “The government must reassess its budget priorities and reallocate funds from non-essential areas to tackle the city’s critical infrastructure challenges.”

“There urgent need for alternative land acquisition for waste disposal, we have to address the critical situation of Kampala’s waste management. With the Kiteezi landfill exhausted and the proposed, look Dundu site is facing resistance and logistical hurdles, the city teeters on the brink of a waste management crisis. Lukwago noted”

In addition to waste management, Lukwago pointed out other critical areas requiring urgent attention, such as drainage systems, road maintenance, market revitalization and upgrading slum areas vulnerable to environmental hazards.

Lukwago has said that the Kiteezi landfill disaster has left Uganda reeling, exposing decades of neglect and complacency.  He said that despite warnings, the site’s capacity was exceeded, and environmental concerns were ignored.

Adding that this has caused the devastating consequences of losing lives and destroyed homes, noting that the incident has ignited criticism, holding the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) and government accountable for their inaction in the face of known risks.

Meanwhile the death toll of Kiteezi collapsed landfill by Friday evening have risen to 35 people as the rescue operations continues according to the police records. Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson, Patrick Onyango, has said they have retrieved another unidentified body of a female juvenile, bringing the number to 35 bodies.

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