Former KCCA Top Bosses Committed to High Court Over Fatal Landfill Collapse

Former Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Executive Director Dorothy Kisaka and her deputy, Engineer David Luyimbazi Ssali, have been formally committed to the High Court for trial on a staggering 57 charges. The charges, including manslaughter and causing death or bodily harm through negligent acts, stem from the catastrophic collapse of the Kiteezi Landfill on August 10, 2024, an incident that tragically claimed several lives and left many injured.

The Kasangati Chief Magistrates Court, presided over by Chief Magistrate Beatrice Khainza, committed on Wednesday, following the withdrawal of charges against KCCA’s Director of Public Health, Dr. Daniel Okello, by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Jane Frances Abodo.

A comprehensive 45-page summary of the evidence, signed by Assistant DPP Lino Anguzu, details the grim findings. Postmortem examinations conducted at Mulago Hospital and KCCA mortuaries confirmed that victims died from traumatic asphyxia, suffocation, and blunt force injuries. Numerous others sustained grievous bodily harm and required extensive medical attention at various health facilities.

According to the DPP, investigations unveiled a critical history of neglect at the Kiteezi Landfill. Opened in 1996 and upgraded in 2001, the landfill significantly exceeded its projected 10-year operational lifespan by 2013. The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) had repeatedly declined to renew its license, citing severe environmental and safety risks. Despite these clear regulatory directives, KCCA allegedly continued to operate the site.

Evidence presented indicates that the landfill continued to receive vast quantities of waste from across the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area, including from unauthorized private entities. By the time of its collapse, Kiteezi was reportedly handling over 450,000 tons of waste annually—far surpassing its engineered capacity. Technical assessments revealed profound mismanagement, despite an annual KCCA budget of at least UGX 3.1 billion specifically earmarked for the landfill’s maintenance.

Crucially, investigations revealed that vital practices such as daily compaction and leachate treatment had been neglected since 2015, leading to the accumulation of hazardous waste heaps and unstable slopes that ultimately gave way. The prosecution asserts that both Kisaka and Luyimbazi, as senior KCCA officials, were fully aware of the landfill’s deteriorating condition. Between December 2023 and July 2024, they allegedly received multiple internal and external reports explicitly warning of an imminent collapse.

A damning report dated April 18, 2024, from the landfill’s management officer, reportedly called for urgent interventions, including infrastructure reinforcement, improved drainage, and community sensitization. Despite receiving this critical report, the duo allegedly failed to take any action. Further warnings followed in July 2024 from the KCCA Internal Audit Director and the Solid Waste Management Project Coordinator, who ominously described the site as a “national disaster in waiting.”

Prosecutors contend that Kisaka and Luyimbazi again failed to act decisively. While the Director of Public Health formally requested emergency funding for safety measures on July 2, 2024, Kisaka reportedly only approved funding on August 21 – 11 days after the tragedy and amidst widespread public outrage. Furthermore, the prosecution claims that several proposals from private investors to either rehabilitate or decommission the landfill were ignored or rejected, and identified alternative dumping sites were not utilized.

The DPP argues that the accused demonstrably failed in their statutory duty of care by allowing continued operations at an unlicensed, structurally compromised site and by disregarding repeated technical warnings. The prosecution posits that their inaction directly led to the tragic loss of life, injuries, and property destruction. Kisaka, as KCCA’s chief administrator and accounting officer, bore overall responsibility, while Luyimbazi directly oversaw the Directorate of Public Health and Environment, which managed the landfill.

Both Kisaka and Luyimbazi reportedly received routine briefings about the risks at Kiteezi between January and July 2024. The prosecution intends to present extensive evidence, including expert technical reports, internal KCCA correspondence, postmortem and medical records, NEMA findings, and police investigations. Both accused were declared mentally and physically fit to stand trial and remain out on bail pending their appearance. The date for their High Court trial is yet to be fixed.

All three officials, including Dr. Okello, were relieved of their duties in 2024 by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni in the public interest, following a report from the Inspectorate of Government. The Kiteezi landfill, situated in Kasangati Town Council, Wakiso District, serves as a crucial waste disposal site for Kampala, Wakiso, and Mukono municipalities. Its collapse on August 10, 2024, is widely regarded as one of Uganda’s worst waste management disasters. Kisaka had served as Executive Director of KCCA since July 23, 2020, with responsibilities encompassing service delivery, financial management, and environmental policy implementation within the city.