Kampalans to pay for waste generated on National Cleaning Day

What the report says

Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) says residents and business operators will be charged for waste generated during the next National Cleaning Day, set for August 29. According to The Observer, the fees will range from Shs 1,000 to Shs 40,000 depending on the type of waste generator, with the policy framed under the National Environment Act’s polluter-pays principle.

KCCA executive director Hajjat Sharifah Buzeki said the move is meant to reduce pressure on the city’s waste system after lessons from the first cleaning day, when large volumes of refuse strained collection and evacuation capacity. Kampala produces an estimated 2,000 to 2,500 tonnes of waste a day, and the authority says some of that remains uncollected. To improve coverage, KCCA has contracted nine private waste collectors, alongside its own facilities and trucks.

Under the new arrangement, informal and low-income settlements will pay Shs 1,000 per 50-kilogramme bag, households and commercial premises Shs 3,000 per bag, and large institutions such as schools, churches and mosques Shs 40,000 per truckload. KCCA said public facilities like markets, taxi parks, health centres and schools will still be covered by the authority. Waste collection during the exercise will follow a “bring-to-truck” system, with residents required to sort waste into organic and inorganic categories and avoid roadside dumping.

KCCA officials said the approach is intended to improve accountability, reduce illegal dumping and make collection more predictable across Kampala’s villages. The authority also said residents who already pay private collectors will not be charged twice if they present receipts.