Charcoal saga: What’s so hard for Kampala to turn waste into energy?

What the report says

An opinion piece in The Observer argues that Kampala could reduce both waste and pressure on Uganda’s forests by converting household and market garbage into charcoal briquettes and other forms of waste-to-energy fuel. The author says the Kiteezi landfill and other urban dumping sites show the scale of Kampala’s waste problem, while the continued reliance on tree charcoal drives deforestation in districts such as Mityana, Mukono, Buddu and Singo.

The article says Kampala’s waste stream includes banana peels, paper, sawdust, cow dung and charcoal dust, and proposes that these materials be compressed and carbonized into cleaner briquettes. It suggests that such fuel could burn longer, produce less smoke and cost less than traditional charcoal, while also reducing demand for wood and helping protect forests. The writer presents this as a practical, not experimental, solution and says similar approaches are being used in places such as Kenya and Rwanda.

The piece also calls on Kampala Capital City Authority to take a more active role, including setting up pilot factories and introducing stronger rules on household waste sorting. It argues that a local briquette industry could create jobs for young people, keep more money in the city economy and potentially earn carbon-credit revenue. The broader context is Kampala’s longstanding struggle with landfill management, waste collection and affordable cooking fuel, all of which make the waste-to-energy debate politically and economically relevant.