Parliament’s Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) has raised concerns over delays and outstanding issues in compensating families affected by the Kiteezi landfill disaster, as well as the management and development of the new Buyala Integrated Waste Management Facility in Mpigi District.
The committee, chaired by Hon. Muwada Nkunyingi, also questioned Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) over rising tax arrears, domestic debts, unutilised funds, land management and procurement practices during a meeting with Authority officials led by Executive Director Sharifah Buzeki.
Buzeki told the committee that KCCA had compensated all people affected by the Kiteezi landfill collapse except one person. She said part of the Authority’s growing domestic arrears was linked to expenditure incurred in responding to the disaster and compensating affected families.
The Kiteezi landfill collapsed in August 2024, killing and displacing residents living around the dumpsite and forcing the Government to accelerate efforts to secure an alternative waste disposal site for Kampala.
Following the disaster, the Government acquired about 230 acres of land in Mpigi District for the establishment of the Buyala Integrated Waste Management Facility.
KCCA told the committee that the facility currently receives between 1,500 and 2,000 tonnes of waste every day, with more than 150 trucks transporting garbage from Kampala and neighbouring urban centres, including Kira, Nansana and Mukono.
However, COSASE expressed concern about the pace of development and management of the facility and resolved to conduct a physical inspection of both Kiteezi and Buyala to verify the information presented by KCCA officials.
“We shall visit Kiteezi and Buyala to ascertain whether what KCCA is reporting to the committee is actually on the ground,” Nkunyingi said.
The committee was also informed that KCCA’s tax arrears had increased from Shs281 billion to Shs328 billion.
KCCA Director of Finance Donny Muganzi told MPs that about 20,000 taxpayers, including Government agencies, had failed to meet their tax obligations.
Muganzi attributed the poor recovery of outstanding revenue partly to inadequate staffing, saying the Authority lacked enough personnel to effectively enforce tax compliance and pursue defaulters.
The revelation prompted COSASE Deputy Chairperson George Musisi to direct KCCA to submit a detailed list of the debtors to the committee.
Musisi said the information would enable MPs to establish whether the outstanding arrears were genuinely difficult to recover and assess the measures KCCA had taken against the defaulters.
The committee also learnt that KCCA had accumulated domestic arrears of more than Shs239 billion.
Buzeki said the Authority had come under significant financial pressure, partly because of the costs associated with the Kiteezi disaster, including emergency response interventions and compensation for affected persons.
She further told MPs that KCCA was exploring alternative uses for its land in Ddundu and Kasenge, which had previously been considered as possible waste disposal sites before the Government acquired the Buyala land in Mpigi.
COSASE is scrutinising KCCA’s waste management strategy following concerns raised in the Auditor General’s report for the 2023/24 financial year.
Among the issues under examination are unutilised funds, management of land assets, procurement concerns and the Authority’s broader plans for handling solid waste.
KCCA told MPs that about Shs25 billion had been allocated towards solid waste management, including the acquisition of garbage trucks and the development of material recovery facilities such as Buyala.
The Authority has also opened Expressions of Interest for the full remediation of the Kiteezi landfill and for the competitive procurement of the Buyala facility under a pre-contract financing arrangement.
KCCA is also planning to introduce data-driven digital waste-tracking systems as part of efforts to improve the monitoring and management of garbage collection and disposal.
KCCA Director of Corporate Affairs Daniel Muhumuza Nuweabaine said the Authority owns the land on which the Buyala facility is being developed and was committed to ensuring that the new site does not pose risks similar to those associated with Kiteezi.
“In a bid to prevent any disaster, KCCA is committed to ensuring that lives are not affected at Buyala and takes seriously the advice of the committee,” Muhumuza said.
Meanwhile, KCCA, in partnership with UN-Habitat, has secured a US$1 million grant from the Government of Japan to support the stabilisation and mitigation of high-risk areas at Kiteezi as the Authority proceeds with the procurement of a contractor for the landfill’s overall decommissioning.
The planned COSASE field visit to Kiteezi and Buyala is expected to give MPs an opportunity to independently assess conditions at both sites and establish whether KCCA’s plans for compensation, remediation and long-term waste management are being implemented as reported.
The inspection is also expected to inform the committee’s scrutiny of KCCA’s financial management and its response to concerns raised in the Auditor General’s report.
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