More Pain and Tears Ahead – The Kampala Report

The recent tragedy at the Kiteezi landfill has shocked the county, laying bare the deep-seated issues that have plagued our society for years. Over 30 lives have been lost, buried under mountains of garbage, and countless others remain unaccounted for more than a week after the disaster. This avoidable catastrophe, a direct result of our collective negligence, demands an urgent and honest examination of our failures as a nation.

For a long time, the Kiteezi landfill had grown unchecked, a symbol of our disregard for environmental and public health. The noxious smell was a daily reminder of a problem we chose to ignore until it culminated in this horrific disaster. The fact that we are unable, even a week later, to recover the bodies of the victims is a damning indictment of our infrastructure and emergency response capabilities. It raises a fundamental question: how did we allow this to happen?

The Kiteezi disaster is not an isolated incident but a symptom of a much larger problem. Our capital city is riddled with issues that reflect gross mismanagement and corruption. The transport network is in shambles, garbage is strewn across streets, and crime is rampant. Street vendors, once a symbol of entrepreneurial spirit, now overcrowd the city like a rash, while pickpockets and thieves have become an accepted nuisance. This chaotic environment is a direct consequence of years of neglect and poor governance.

The tragic loss of life in Kiteezi should be a rallying point for change, yet it feels like just another statistic. How many more must die for the authorities to take notice? Traffic accidents due to congestion and poor roads, patients dying because ambulances are stuck in traffic jams – these daily tragedies are no less significant than Kiteezi. Pregnant mothers are dying because there are no ambulances to take them to hospitals, no basic drugs to save a person, or no doctors available. We will soon see that the Kiteezi disaster is merely a symptom of a larger issue, one that extends beyond the KCCA or its leadership. The real problem lies within our society and the values we have cultivated as Ugandans.

When someone is fortunate enough to secure a public office, there is a prevailing attitude that it is acceptable to embezzle the entire budget allocated to that office, or any resources, disregarding its intended purpose. The belief is that, even if one dies, the stolen money will provide for his or her family. Moreover, even if these corrupt individuals are caught and imprisoned, they are often released and welcomed with open arms, these days shamelessly welcomed as heroes, and likened to Jesus, the son of God.

Public office, once a position of trust, has become a license to steal. This systemic rot has led us to the brink, culminating in disasters like Kiteezi. We have sown the seeds of our own destruction, and now we are reaping the harvest.

The Kiteezi disaster is a reminder of what we have become as a nation,where we are going as a country. Kiteezi isn’t just a heap of garbage, it’s the debris of a rotten culture we’ve nurtured, now reaching its inevitable fruition. It symbolizes more than just the physical collapse of waste – it represents the collapse of our moral fabric.We turned a blind eye to the growing towers of garbage, much like we’ve ignored the rampant corruption and mismanagement that have plagued our institutions.

Kiteezi is an indicator that more pain, perhaps more tears, are ahead of us.

The writer , Arinda Wilfred is the LC 5 Male Youth Councillor for Rubanda District 

wilfredarinda@gmail.com