The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | For decades, Uganda’s rapidly urbanizing towns and cities have struggled under the burden of mounting garbage, as outdated waste infrastructure buckles under the pressure. Overflowing dumpsites, clogged drainage systems, and rising health risks have become daily challenges for communities.
Now, a transformative initiative is set to rewrite this narrative. Tubikima Waste, a cutting-edge waste management company under Bigseal Holdings, is revolutionizing how Uganda handles its refuse. Its name, derived from the Luganda phrase meaning “We Collect It,” reflects a mission far greater than simple collection — Tubikima aims to reimagine waste as both an economic and environmental asset.
Robert Simola, one of the innovators behind Tubikima, explains that central to the company’s approach is a user-friendly mobile app enabling households and businesses to schedule pickups, track collection teams in real time, and make electronic payments. This streamlined logistics system replaces informal disposal methods and fosters cleaner, more accountable communities.
Yet, Tubikima’s real innovation lies in what happens after collection. The company is developing an Integrated Waste Management and Resource Recovery Park, where waste is sorted, processed, and transformed. A mechanical sorting system will recover recyclables such as plastic, paper, glass, and metals, strengthening Uganda’s nascent recycling industry.
A bio-organic treatment facility will convert food scraps and green waste into biogas to power the plant and organic fertilizer to support agriculture — a lifeline for over 75% of Ugandans. Residual waste will undergo high-efficiency thermal incineration, generating energy for homes and converting ash into materials for bricks, tiles, and road construction.
This zero-waste model is a game-changer. “We’re turning waste into a resource that can power homes, nourish farms, and build infrastructure,” says Tubikima CEO Dr. John Peter Katumba. Backed by six years of research drawing on global best practices from North America, the Middle East, and Europe, Katumba emphasizes, “This is a deliberate, evidence-based response to a crisis we can’t ignore.”
Tubikima is working closely with the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) to secure land near the Buyala landfill — recently designated as a disposal site — for its flagship recovery park, envisioned as a blueprint for nationwide expansion. Kampala generates some 2,500 tonnes of waste daily, but KCCA collects less than half, leaving much to be dumped illegally or left to rot in informal settlements. This waste, 80% organic, clogs sewers, breeds disease, and pollutes the environment. Tubikima’s approach offers a smarter, sustainable solution.
Residents are optimistic. “This app is a significant change to the waste management industry,” says Beatrice Biira from Kireka. “Waste can become treasure, like in Singapore. As Kampala grows, so will its waste. We need this.” Bosco Koowa, a shopkeeper in Ntinda, stresses the importance of public education on the 3Rs — Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
“If we embrace these principles, the app becomes a lifestyle.” Beyond cleaner streets, Tubikima is creating jobs and driving economic empowerment. Its first phase will distribute two tricycles to each of Uganda’s 2,184 towns and municipalities, employing four workers per unit, potentially creating over 18,000 jobs for youth in the near term.
Tubikima’s timing is critical. With rapid urban growth and shrinking landfill space, Uganda must rethink waste management as a pillar of sustainable development. Poor sanitation and waste management fuel preventable diseases, particularly in Kampala, where diarrheal diseases — linked to inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene practices — remain a leading cause of death. While exact figures vary, a Directorate of Health Services survey underscores the strong link between poor waste management and environment-related illnesses in Uganda.
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Kampala is the garbage city of the world. It is the dirtiest and one of the most congested cities globally. The stench of Kampala is so nauseating and lingers in your nostrils for days and days. Kampala ewunya!!
The majority of the people who generate waste in Kampala are those who live hand-to-mouth and cannot afford to pay for garbage collection. So, this initiative, good as it sounds, is dead on arrival;and I really hope that I am wrong. Moreober, initiatives such as this where people have to pay for garbage collection in Kampala have existed before; so, don’t call it an innovative idea. Sadly, they have all failed.
Nonetheless, government should step in to subsidie the cost of garbage collection by this group..Ugandans should also be sensitized on waste separation and safe disposal methods. A lot of the waste, as you rightly point out, is organic material and can quite often be reused right at home, especially for homes with gardens.
KCCA should provide waste bins, along with the bin liners, on the streets of Kampala and collect them at least twice a day. There should be a public health law against littering and this should be enforced.
Ugandan, we may disagree with the failures corrupt practices of our government, but we still have to love our country and keep it clean. Just go to Rwanda and see what they have done.