Over a year after the Kiteezi landfill tragedy, victims are still making trips to Kampala City Hall seeking payment for property lost when a section of the site collapsed, burying homes and land under heaps of waste.
State Minister for Disaster Preparedness Lillian Aber, under the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), says those whose cases fell under her docket have already been compensated.
“We have paid those whose homes were demolished to make way for the excavators to a tune of one billion shillings,” Aber said.
Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) maintains that in the last financial year, most victims were paid, with only owners of undeveloped land buried under garbage still pending.
“There are eight parcels of land and the owners were identified. The government valuer has already estimated the value. We are waiting on funds,” said Sharifah Buzeki, the KCCA Elexecutive director.
However, some youths claim they were never paid despite working under KCCA’s supervision after the disaster.
Three say they initially volunteered to rescue survivors on the day of the garbage slide before registering with OPM to help locate bodies and identify where homes once stood, work they did for 14 days.
Isaiah Tushabemukama said, “We first worked under OPM and then KCCA asked us to work temporarily on clearing the drainage.”
Isaac Muleme added, “We always signed after every shift. Each day we were supposed to get some money. After the four months, we have gone to every office and been tossed around.”
While both KCCA leadership and Minister Aber insist that most people have been paid, Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago disputes this.
“There are those who lost loved ones and have not received the money. Those whose houses are buried under the garbage — none of these have been paid,” Lukwago said.
He suggested that KCCA might use its contingency fund to cover some of the claims.
“Maybe from the KCCA contingency fund we can get one billion shillings and pay off some of these people.”
Minister Aber said anyone who has not been paid should present their case to the Prime Minister.
“If anyone worked and was not paid, they should write to the Prime Minister,” she said.
The August 2024 Kiteezi disaster destroyed property worth millions, leaving victims in deep distress. While some have received compensation, many others remain without payment, their hopes fading with each passing day.