The Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC) says the Kiteezi landfill tragedy underscores the urgent need for a well-trained and equipped rapid response unit capable of handling disasters of that scale.
Over the weekend, the Kiteezi landfill collapse claimed the lives of over 20 people, with search efforts for missing persons still underway.
Speaking to the media at the party’s headquarters in Kampala, UPC spokesperson MsSharon Oyat observed that the delays in rescuing the missing persons highlight the government’s inadequate capacity, adding that the situation also poses significant health risks to the community and surrounding areas.
She warned the Ministry of Water and Environment and key stakeholders like Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) and National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) that indiscriminate waste dumping without considering recycling is an environmental and health disaster.
“When an incident like this occurs, they should be fast on the ground but we are seeing excavators and a few people from the Red Cross but the rate at which they are working is not as fast as a rate of trying to save lives but rather trying to get the bodies out, which is very unfortunate,” she told journalists on Wednesday.
Oyat urged authorities to harness science and technology to improve waste collection and to prioritize recycling.
