Tragedy Strikes in Uganda as Landfill Collapse Claims 24
Lives
The death toll from a catastrophic landfill collapse in
Uganda's capital, Kampala, has risen to 24, according to the city authority.
Rescuers, aided by excavators, continued their search for victims at the
Kiteezi landfill on Monday, following the disaster that struck last Friday.
Among the deceased are at least four children, highlighting the grim toll on
the community.
The collapse is believed to have been triggered by heavy
rainfall, though the exact cause remains unclear. The city authority cited a
"structural failure in waste mass" as a contributing factor. The
Uganda Red Cross, represented by spokesperson Irene Nakasiita, has expressed
little hope of finding additional survivors.
The exact number of missing persons remains unknown, adding
to the uncertainty surrounding the tragedy. The Kiteezi landfill, a sprawling
dumpsite located in a poor hillside area, receives hundreds of garbage trucks
daily. Despite being declared full years ago, the site has remained operational,
with efforts to decommission it continually delayed.
The landfill is a magnet for the city's most vulnerable
residents, including women and children, who scavenge through the waste in
search of plastic and other materials to sell. Many have even built makeshift
homes near the site, drawn by the slim chance of earning a meager income. This
proximity to such a dangerous location has now proven fatal for many.
In response to the disaster, Ugandan President Yoweri
Museveni has ordered an investigation. He took to social media platform X,
formerly known as Twitter, to question how people were allowed to live so close
to the hazardous site. "Who allowed people to live near such a potentially
hazardous and dangerous heap?" Museveni asked, pointing out that the
effluent, or liquid waste, from the landfill is hazardous enough to make the
area uninhabitable.
This tragedy has sparked renewed calls for urgent action to
address the unsafe living conditions and mismanagement of waste in Kampala.
