Kampala struggles with rising air pollution amid lack of resources, public awareness

As Kampala faces rapid urbanisation, outdated vehicles, and inadequate infrastructure, air quality in the city has declined sharply, posing serious health risks to residents.

Experts warn that unchecked urban growth and traffic congestion are driving pollution to alarming levels, with cases of respiratory diseases, asthma, and even cancer on the rise.

Professor Lynn Atuyambe, Associate Professor at Makerere University’s School of Public Health and Principal Investigator of the Eastern Africa Geo Health Hub, notes a decade-long decline in air quality, largely driven by urbanization, congestion, and weak regulations.

“With population growth comes more vehicles, motorcycles, unpaved roads, and overcrowding all contributing to emissions,” he says.

Many of Kampala’s vehicles are poorly maintained, releasing thick exhaust fumes. Though Kampala may seem far removed from industrial powerhouses, the city is experiencing the severe health impacts of air pollution, now the fourth leading cause of death globally.

Nearly 20% of deaths in Kampala are now attributed to air pollution, with airborne particulate matter, particularly PM 2.5, as the main culprit.

“PM 2.5 is small enough to pass directly into the lungs and bloodstream, affecting both the heart and brain,” explains Professor Atuyambe. Exposure can lead to heart attacks, strokes, lung infections, and cancers, with children, the elderly, and pregnant women facing the most severe impacts.

The Ugandan Parliament recently introduced air quality guidelines, a promising step towards tackling pollution. However, Professor Atuyambe stresses that these must be enforced to have any impact.

“Regulations are important, but enforcement is critical,” he says, adding that actions like regulating old vehicle imports, improving public transport, and reducing waste burning could make a difference.

“If we can organize public transportation, we reduce cars on the road, and paving roads can cut down on dust and particulate matter,”

Executive Secretary for Public Health and Environment Affairs at Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), Minister Olive Namazzi, calls air pollution a “slow killer,” estimating it contributes to about 30,000 deaths annually across Uganda.

She expresses frustration that risks associated with air quality often go unrecognized by both leadership and the public, with nine out of ten Kampala residents exposed to pollution levels far above World Health Organization (WHO) limits.

Namazzi identifies various sources of pollution, including emissions from vehicles, industrial exhaust, and open burning. Kampala’s status as a low-income city with high numbers of outdated vehicles and inadequate infrastructure intensifies the problem.

Health data from KCCA public health facilities indicate that about 30% of patients suffer from respiratory issues linked to poor air quality, including lung cancer, bronchitis, and asthma.

“These are diseases clearly linked to air quality,” Namazzi remarks, emphasizing the connection between air pollution and non-communicable diseases.

However, KCCA’s efforts to monitor and improve air quality are hampered by limited funding, forcing reliance on external partners.

“KCCA does not have air quality monitoring units,” Namazzi notes.

“It’s not in the budget, and we lack dedicated staff.” Collaborations with international partners like the U.S. Mission, the European Union, and Expertise France have allowed the installation of 25 air quality monitors citywide, but Namazzi stresses that expanding monitoring capabilities is essential.

Namazzi has urged the Ugandan government to prioritize air quality, calling on Parliament to allocate funding for environmental health initiatives.

Without sustained financial support, air quality monitoring and response efforts will stall, leaving Kampala's air pollution crisis unresolved.

Despite these constraints, KCCA has taken steps to mitigate pollution, such as introducing a “source apportionment machine” with Expertise France to analyze pollution sources and drafting a Climate Change Action Plan to reduce emissions by 5-22%.

Further strategies include energy-saving initiatives and tree-planting campaigns intended to counterbalance carbon emissions and improve air quality.

Additionally, KCCA, with support from Vital Strategies, is drafting an air quality ordinance to create a regulatory framework for reducing pollution.

“The ordinance will help us work with different sectors,” says Namazzi, noting that a collaborative approach involving the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) and the Ministry of Works is crucial.

Namazzi also calls on residents to adopt sustainable practices, particularly those in informal settlements where open burning is common.

“When you burn garbage, you’re inhaling toxic fumes infants and pregnant mothers are especially vulnerable,” she cautions. She advises residents to avoid passive smoking and use masks in areas with heavy traffic or industrial activity.

“If you can use a mask, especially near industrial zones, please do,” she suggests.

Namazzi emphasizes the need for a unified, multi-sectoral approach to address air pollution. She urges both governmental and non-governmental organizations to prioritize air quality, ensuring a sustainable future for Kampala’s residents.

“If nine out of ten people in Kampala are breathing polluted air, this is an issue that will affect us all sooner or later,” she warns, stressing the importance of immediate action to protect current and future generations from the escalating health risks posed by air pollution.