KCCA Adds 10 Garbage Trucks as Kampala Prepares for National Cleaning Day

KCCA has added 10 garbage trucks to Kampala’s waste collection fleet as the city prepares for monthly National Cleaning Day exercises amid growing pressure from rising waste volumes.

Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has acquired 10 additional garbage trucks as the city steps up preparations for the National Cleaning Day campaign aimed at improving waste management and curbing illegal dumping.

The new trucks bring the total number of garbage trucks available in Kampala to 116, with a combined carrying capacity of more than 2,600 tonnes.

Kampala generates an estimated 2,000 to 2,500 tonnes of garbage daily, placing growing pressure on the city's waste collection and disposal systems.

To strengthen collection, KCCA has also contracted nine private waste management companies, with each company assigned to one of Kampala's nine constituencies.

The National Cleaning Day will be held on the last Saturday of every month following a government directive aimed at promoting cleanliness and improving waste management across the country.

KCCA Executive Director Sharifah Buzeki said the monthly exercise will operate under a “bring-to-truck” model, requiring residents to sort their waste and take it to designated collection points instead of leaving it on verandas or dumping it in undesignated areas.

“The National Cleaning Day will operate under a bring-to-truck model, where residents will be required to separate their waste into organic and inorganic waste and take it to designated collection points,” Buzeki said.

She said leaders in the city's divisions will identify and agree on suitable collection points where residents can take their waste for collection.

“Routine waste collection charges will continue to apply for privately collected waste, while the city will ensure that designated collection points are properly managed and inspected,” Buzeki said.

KCCA said inspection checklists will also be used to monitor households and ensure residents are not keeping waste in their compounds or disposing of it in inappropriate places.

The authority has also warned that bicycles, boda bodas and other vehicles that are not licensed by KCCA will not be allowed to collect garbage.

The expanded fleet and involvement of private waste collectors are expected to increase Kampala's capacity to collect and manage waste as the monthly National Cleaning Day exercises get underway.

With the city generating thousands of tonnes of waste every day, KCCA's challenge will extend beyond the cleaning exercises to ensuring that waste is consistently collected, transported and disposed of properly between the monthly campaigns.