A devastating landslide at the Kiteezi landfill, located in the Kawempe Division bordering Wakiso district in Kampala on 10th August,2024 left at least 35 people dead and hundreds homeless, continues to generate widespread outrage and calls for accountability.
The latest was President Yoweri Museveni’s swift response of firing three top officials from the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), citing negligence and systemic failure.
The Inspector General of Government’s (IGG) investigation revealed shocking lapses in judgment and accountability among KCCA’s leadership.
The Executive Director Dorothy Kisaka, her Deputy Eng David Luyimbazi and Dr Daniel Okello the Director of Public Health Department reportedly ignored a closure notice from the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) and continued operating the landfill even when there were clear signs and warnings of imminent danger.
This blatant disregard for safety protocols and regulatory requirements set the stage for the disaster.
The Betty Olive Namisango Kamya (BONK)-led Ombudsman has not yet officially released the Report saying the matter is now a subject of the CID.
However, we managed to capture key findings by the IGG which guided the decision of President Yoweri Museveni’s action on Tuesday, which we now happily share with you readers of Watchdog Uganda:
The Executive Director, KCCA as an Accounting Officer;
Arbitrarily ignored the closure notice from NEMA and continued to operate Kiteezi landfill without a licence.
Committed KCCA to enter into contractual obligations with the concessionaires to dump waste at Kiteezi landfill thereby breaching the licence conditions.
The IGG faults Kisaka for failing to notify the responsible office for disaster preparedness in the Office of Prime Minister(OPM) in line with the National Disaster Preparedness and Management policy 2010.
She did not seek urgent redress, including informing the Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago-led political wing at KCCA (the NUP dominated Council) based at City Hall.
The finding also indicated that Dorothy Kisaka ignored urgent communication from various stakeholders including her staff to find an immediate response to the impending catastrophe at Kiteezi. As chairperson of the Senior Management team she did not consider it as a matter for discussion at that level, hence the costly disaster.
The Deputy ED supervisor of Director (Eng David Luyimbazi):
As a qualified engineer worth the name and title, the IGG said Luyimbazi was not able to appreciate the gravity of the situation at Kiteezi landfill despite receiving communication about the impending catastrophe.
As the direct supervisor of the Directorate of Public Health and Environment, Eng Luyimbazi should have taken action against the concessionaires who were illegally dumping waste knowing that there was an impending danger.
The findings also state that Luyimbazi failed to notify the responsible office for disaster preparedness, OPM in line with the National Disaster Preparedness and Management policy 2010.
Just like his immediate supervisor, Luyimbazi did not seek urgent redress, including informing the Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago (the political leadership at KCCA).
The Director Public health and Environment as responsible officer (Dr Daniel Okello);
The finding says Dr Daniel Okello irregularly continued to supervise the operations of the landfill without a NEMA licence. He failed to ensure regular compaction of the landfill with gravel which is a required operational standard.
Upon receipt of an email on 29th June 2024 communicating the emergency situation at the Kiteezi landfill, the IGG’s findings revealed that Dr Okello visited the landfill but failed to make a report that would have guided management on the appropriate action to take.
The findings also fault Dr Okello for failure to proactively follow up with the Executive Director and management team to ensure that the situation at the landfill was promptly attended to.
At the minimum, as a member of the senior manager team, Dr Daniel Okello ought to have raised the Kiteeze landfill emergency as a matter of priority during the senior management meetings.
In the principles of natural justice, the three will be expected to defend themselves before the court of law, should the state as directed by the President drag them for criminal and negligence of duty charges.
Experts argue that the Kiteezi disaster is symptomatic of deeper systemic issues, including inadequate funding and resource allocation.
KCCA’s budget constraints and theft have led to a significant staffing gap, making it challenging for the authority to fulfill its duties.
Urban development experts emphasize that targeting KCCA officials alone is misguided, as the problems plaguing the city require a more comprehensive approach
They think and believe the IGG should focus on the broader issues contributing to avoidable deaths in the congested capital, including regulation of the boda-boda industry, which claims 10 lives daily, and addressing the city’s inadequate budget .
As the city dwellers and citizens continue to nurse the loss of life and struggle to recover, it’s clear that systemic change is needed to prevent such tragedies in the future.
Many have welcomed the President’s directive to prosecute the fired officials as a step towards accountability, but that it must be accompanied by meaningful reforms to address the root causes of the disaster.
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