Kiteezi Landfill Tragedy: 11 People Still Missing After 3 Weeks of Search Efforts

On the early morning of Saturday, August 10, tragedy struck the community of Kiteezi in Wakiso District, casting a dark shadow over the lives of its residents. A massive heap of garbage suddenly collapsed from the Kiteezi waste site, claiming the lives of 35 people and destroying countless homes, leaving thousands of families without shelter. The once bustling neighborhood lies in ruins, shrouded in grief and despair.

It has been three weeks and four days since that dreadful morning, and the pain still lingers. Despite the tireless efforts of rescue teams, many bodies remain buried beneath the mountains of waste, and the search for the missing continues in vain.

Families, clinging to the faintest glimmers of hope, scour the site day and night, but with each passing day, the reality of their loss becomes harder to ignore. The community is haunted by the absence of their loved ones, their cries of anguish echoing through the debris-strewn streets. For those still missing, their families’ endless searches have turned into heartbreaking vigils, as they come to terms with the devastating likelihood that their loved ones may never be found.

Several reports have come out noting that over 28 people are still missing however while appearing before Parliament’s Committee of Commissions, Statutory Authorities & State Enterprises (COSASE) to discuss the issues of Waste Management, the Minister of Kampala Capital City Authority and Metropolitan Affairs, Hajjat Minsa Kabanda confirmed that as per the report from the Office of Prime Minister only 11 persons are still missing.

“Following the rescue exercise, 18 people were rescued from the rubble, while a number of those who died were about 35 people and 11 people are still missing, according to the Taskforce report. The extent of the damage is still being assessed but it is estimated that at least 35 homes were engulfed in the garbage, livestock and other property were lost,” remarked Minister

However, Medard Sseggona, the Member of Parliament for Busiro East, expressed deep concern over the conflicting reports from the government regarding the number of missing persons. With sorrow in his voice, he questioned the inconsistency, saying, “When we visited Kiteezi, the Deputy RCC informed us that 28 people were missing, and by that time, they had retrieved 35 bodies. Now you are telling us that 11 people are missing. Have you retrieved more bodies that haven’t been recorded?”

The Minister, with a heavy heart, responded, “We haven’t retrieved more people, but sometimes people speculate. According to our information on the ground, we are missing 11 people. According to the Office of the Prime Minister, we are missing 11 people who should be on record. We are missing 11 people, not 28, and we have retrieved 35 bodies. Those who came out alive are 18.”

“We heard the President say that the residents had encroached on the garbage land and when we visited, we received a map from KCCA indicating actually, it is garbage that had encroached. Could you be privy to the President’s source of information?” asked Sseggona.

Minister Kabanda replied, “We know it is the garbage which found people there and some of those people have land titles, and I think I have explained that to the President that some of those people have land titles they haven’t encroached, they were there with land titles and that was their land.”

The minister also firmly refuted claims that residents in the vicinity of Kiteezi encroached upon the KCCA landfill. In a statement filled with resolve, she emphasized that the residents held legitimate land titles and were rightful owners of the land they occupied. Despite the devastation caused by the landfill collapse, Kabanda maintains that the affected individuals were not trespassers but legitimate occupants of their properties.

“We know it is the garbage which found people there and some of those people have land titles, and I think I have explained that to the President that some of those people have land titles they haven’t encroached, they were there with land titles and that was their land.”

This followed a question from Ssegona, who asked, “We heard the President say that the residents had encroached on the garbage land. However, when we visited, we received a map from KCCA indicating that it was the garbage that had encroached upon the residents’ land. Could you provide insight into the President’s source of information?”

The ministers’ assertion that only 11 people are missing comes at a time when individuals like Joshua Ario, a city pastor and resident of Lusanja, are still desperately searching for his wife, Justine Mutesi, and their four-year-old son, Innocent Agasha. They are feared to be buried under the rubble of the garbage that engulfed his home on August 10.

“Fifteen minutes after I left for St. Balikuddembe Market, where I work as a trader, I saw people running towards the direction I had come from. I didn’t understand why until someone told me that garbage had rolled over our homes,” Ario recounts, his voice heavy with anguish. He hurried back home to discover the full extent of the disaster.

“I ran back home after seeing many people pass me by,” he said, his voice breaking. “When I reached my home, it was no longer there. Since the landslide, I have been searching for my house with no success. Every day, I accompany the evacuation teams to the excavation site, but with each passing day, our hope diminishes,” Ario reveals, his frustration palpable.

Ario laments that while the search and rescue teams have managed to recover the remains of many neighbors, his own home and family remain elusive. “I don’t know where the garbage has taken my house. We’ve managed to find most of our neighbors and their families, but I haven’t even found a single piece of my house, not even an iron sheet or door,” he says, his sorrow evident. “No one can find peace of mind until we can lay our loved ones to rest.”