Human rights advocacy organisation Centre for Health, Human Rights and Development (CEHURD) has petitioned the Civil Division of the High Court over, among others, failure by the government to decommission the Kiteezi landfill promptly, violating settlers’ rights to a clean and healthy environment.
In the petition filed on Friday against both the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) and the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), CEHURD further declares that KCCA’s failure to establish and maintain proper and functional waste disposal and management infrastructure, and to control the discharge of toxic leachate into the community and Kiteezi – Kitetika stream constitutes a continuing threat to the rights to a clean and healthy environment, health, life and property contrary to what’s provided for in the constitution.
Speaking to the media shortly after filing the petition, CEHURD’s Deputy Executive Director Noor Nakibuuka Musisi said they have considered going to court such that the Kiteezi case becomes a reference point on how landfills ought to be managed in the future and safeguard the health of people who live around them.
Last year, the disaster occurred, burying numerous people under a mountain of waste. Former Kampala Capital City Authority top officials who including the former Executive Director Dorothy Kisaka, her Deputy Engineer Edward Ssali Luyimbazi, and the Director of Public Health Dr. Daniel Okello, were arrested and taken to court on criminal charges related to manslaughter and causing harm through rash or negligent acts.
CEHURD wants the court to order the decommissioning of the Kiteezi landfill within twelve months and also direct the respondents to restore the environment to mitigate the effects of the collapse of the landfill. They also call for the court to compel both KCCA and NEMA to monitor and ensure that there is no further waste disposal at the Kiteezi landfill.
Currently, however, even KCCA has announced that the landfill has been temporarily closed ever since the tragedy, residents say dumping is still happening, fearing that this may be going in illegally without safeguarding the surrounding community.
URN spoke to Jennifer Namulondo, who lives near the landfill in Lusanja. She fears a bigger disaster, reporting that there is a bigger exposure to medical waste whereby children are often seen playing with syringes, drugs and used condoms.