WAKISO- Tragedy strikes in Wakiso district as a portion of the KCCA’s Kiteezi Landfill Collapse, engulfing over 30 homes and claiming an unknown number of lives.
Residents report that a devastating waste-slide occurred at approximately 7:00 pm, engulfing an estimated more than 30 households, leaving a trial of destruction.
Easter Namujuzi, a mother of two who narrowly escaped with injuries, described the terrifying moment when a massive garbage heap came crashing down like a wave, engulfing homes.
Despite her desperate alarm, many remained asleep due to the weekend. “I frantically ran out, screaming for people to evacuate, but only a few heard me. Unfortunately, my nearby neighbors were trapped and couldn’t be saved,’ Namujuzi recounted, still shaken by the ordeal.”
Another resident Joseph Musoke Mukibi, who was about to leave for work when the collapse occurred, blamed the disaster on the landfill’s neglect.
“The treatment plant has been inactive for years, and we lack compacting machines, leading to overflow,’ Mukibi explained. ‘Unfortunately, many are still buried, and we’ve only rescued two people so far. We anxiously await the excavators, hoping they’ll arrive in time to save more lives.”Mukibi noted.
KCCA’s Public Health Directorate recommended in a 2023 site visit report that the government address the Kiteezi landfill’s capacity issues by either relocating to a new site in Dundi-Mukono or developing the adjacent 4-acre land acquired for expansion purposes.
The rescue efforts are still ongoing at the Kitezi landfill, with excavators still digging down in efforts to rescue more trapped victims.
