The Kasangati Chief Magistrates Court has committed former Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Executive Director Dorothy Kisaka and her Deputy, Engineer David Luyimbazi Ssali, to the High Court for trial on 57 counts of manslaughter and causing death or bodily harm through negligent or reckless acts.
The charges stem from the tragic collapse of the Kiteezi Landfill on August 10, 2024, which claimed multiple lives and left several people injured.
Initially, Kisaka and Luyimbazi were jointly charged with KCCA’s Director of Public Health, Dr. Daniel Okello.
However, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Jane Frances Abodo, withdrew charges against Okello prior to Wednesday’s proceedings, presided over by Chief Magistrate Beatrice Khainza.
A 45-page summary of evidence signed by Assistant DPP Lino Anguzu indicates that postmortems conducted at Mulago Hospital and KCCA mortuaries confirmed the victims died from traumatic asphyxia, suffocation, and blunt force injuries.
Other victims sustained serious injuries and were admitted to various health facilities.
According to the DPP, investigations revealed that the Kiteezi Landfill originally opened in 1996 and upgraded in 2001 had exceeded its 10-year operational lifespan by 2013.
The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) had declined to renew its license, citing severe environmental and safety concerns.
Despite this, KCCA continued to operate the facility in defiance of regulatory orders.
Evidence presented shows the landfill continued receiving waste from across the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area, including from unlicensed private entities.
By the time of its collapse, the site was processing over 450,000 tonnes of waste annually far beyond its intended capacity.
Technical assessments revealed chronic mismanagement of the landfill, despite an annual KCCA budget of at least UGX 3.1 billion allocated for its maintenance.
Investigators found that critical safety practices, such as daily waste compaction and leachate treatment, had been neglected since 2015.
This led to the buildup of unstable waste heaps, which eventually collapsed with the full knowledge of Kisaka and Luyimbazi, according to the findings.
The case now proceeds to the High Court for trial.
By Alex Magala
4th July 2025
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