During a visit to Kiteezi landfill on Sunday, October 6, 2024, Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) officials, led by new Executive Director Frank Rusa, were confronted with accusations of exploitation by former scrap collectors at the site. The workers, also referred to as scavengers, claimed that KCCA staff had been extorting money from them for years in exchange for access to work.
Shadia Nanyonjo, one of the former scrap collectors, revealed that she paid UGX 150,000 to a man named Simon Wanyama before being allowed to work at the landfill. She also mentioned that other scavengers were forced to pay various fees, including toilet fees, and provide documents such as a national ID, a letter from their local council (LC1), and a passport photo. According to Nanyonjo, Wanyama and his associates ran the operations at the landfill, and payments were mandatory for everyone.
Another scrap collector, Carol Nassali, confirmed that she had also paid UGX 200,000 to Wanyama to gain access to the site. She added that anyone who wished to work at night was required to pay an additional UGX 20,000 every Saturday. Nassali explained that until the collapse of the landfill in August, they believed they were official KCCA employees, only to later learn that they were not.
Amina Namugoozi, another worker, echoed similar experiences. She paid UGX 200,000 as an entry fee and was also charged UGX 2,000 every month for using the toilet facilities at the landfill. The fees were collected by a man named Andrew Mwebe, who was reportedly in charge of welfare at the landfill.
Despite possessing KCCA work IDs, Nanyonjo and her colleagues were never formally employed by the authority. The collapse of the landfill in August, which killed 35 people and left 11 others missing, has brought these issues to light. Many of the displaced scavengers have been living in a camp since the disaster, where they remain unsure of their future.
Rusa expressed shock at the allegations, describing them as evidence of a “big scam” within KCCA’s operations at the landfill. He assured the workers that he would investigate the matter and promised that such exploitation would not happen again. Rusa also mentioned that KCCA is working on a drainage channel to address flooding in nearby areas, which has affected 71 homes.
In the aftermath of the landfill collapse, the Ugandan government is in the process of decommissioning the site. However, according to KCCA’s Director of Gender Community Services & Production, Shelia Birungi, several steps need to be followed before the landfill can be fully shut down. Birungi also noted that the victims of the disaster are still living in temporary camps, despite the government’s mandate for a limited camp duration. She emphasized the health risks the residents face due to the ongoing rains and reported that four women have given birth while in the camp.
Camp commandant Wycliffe Mbaguta reported that displaced residents are anxious to leave the camp and resume their lives, but many remain stranded. He added that several children have been unable to return to school due to financial constraints. Although the Resident District Commissioner (RDC) managed to secure placements for some of the children, others were sent home for failing to pay school fees and meet other requirements.
Efforts to contact Simon Wanyama, the individual at the center of the extortion claims, were unsuccessful.
In a separate development, the Inspector General of Government (IGG) recently published a report on negligence within KCCA. This report led to the dismissal of former KCCA Executive Director Dorothy Kisaka and other senior officials. The report followed the August 10 landslide at Kiteezi, which not only killed 35 people but also destroyed millions of dollars’ worth of property.
