Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) is finalising procurement for waste sorting, material recovery and gas extraction facilities as it seeks to reduce reliance on open dumping at the Buyala landfill.
KCCA Executive Director Sharifah Buzeki told Parliament’s Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) that the planned facilities would enable the authority to process waste into reusable materials while addressing environmental and safety risks associated with landfill operations.
“Our journey is not done. We do not want to continue dumping,” Buzeki told the committee during its inspection of the Buyala landfill.
She said KCCA intended to proceed with its waste management programme regardless of where private companies eventually establish their material recovery facilities.
Buzeki credited Parliament’s previous support for helping the authority secure funding from the Ministry of Finance for the first phase of the project, which includes a waste sorting bay, a material recovery facility and a gas extraction system.
The proposed sorting bay will facilitate the separation of different categories of waste, while the material recovery facility will support the processing of recyclable materials for reuse. The gas extraction system is intended to manage gases generated by decomposing waste, reducing the risks associated with their accumulation at the landfill.
Buzeki said the authority was completing the procurement process and remained committed to investments aimed at modernising waste management in Kampala.
She also invited COSASE members, led by the committee chairperson, to inspect the landfill and assess the waste management systems and environmental safeguards being implemented at the site.
The Executive Director said KCCA works with the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) and relevant government ministries to monitor landfill operations and ensure compliance with environmental requirements.
The inspection comes as Kampala faces growing challenges in managing solid waste, increasing pressure on the city to invest in recycling, waste recovery and safer disposal methods.
KCCA’s planned investments are intended to move waste management beyond the continued dumping of refuse towards a system that prioritises sorting, resource recovery and the management of environmental risks.
The project’s progress will depend on the completion of procurement, the establishment of the planned facilities and their effective integration into the city’s wider waste management system.