Latest news with #MakerereUniversity
France 24
5 days ago
- General
- France 24
A year on, Ugandans still suffering from deadly garbage collapse
Then came screams and a giant wave of garbage rushing towards her, ripping up trees as it went. Nansamba, 31, grabbed her children and ran. She was luckier than most -- the avalanche of waste killed some 35 people before stopping at her doorstep. Many survivors of the collapse at the Kiteezi dump on August 9, 2024, have yet to be compensated for their losses, leaving them trapped at the dangerous garbage site. "We are living a miserable life," Nansamba told AFP. Kiteezi is the largest landfill in Kampala, serving the city's residents since 1996, receiving 2,500 tonnes of waste daily. City authorities recommended closing it when it reached capacity in 2015, but garbage kept coming. The disaster highlighted the challenge of managing waste in many rapidly urbanising African cities. A 2017 landfill collapse in Ethiopia killed 116 people. A year later, 17 died after heavy rain caused a landslide at a dump in Mozambique. It doesn't help that wealthier countries send vast amounts of waste to Africa, particularly second-hand clothes, computers and cars. In 2019, the United States exported some 900 million items of second-hand clothing to Kenya alone, more than half designated as waste, according to Changing Markets Foundation, an advocacy group. The Kiteezi collapse "could have been avoided", said Ivan Bamweyana, a scholar of geomatics at Kampala's Makerere University. For a decade, he said, the landfill grew vertically until it reached a height of some 30 metres (98 feet). Early on the fateful morning, rain seeped into the landfill's cracks, causing a fatal cascade. "What is coming can still be avoided," Bamweyana said, of the continued risks at the site. Another crash? The landfill continues to emit methane gas, which caused fires in February and June. While no longer in official use, locals sneak up its slopes to eke out a living collecting plastic bottles to sell. "I would not be shocked if there was a secondary crash," Bamweyana said. Official figures of the number of homes destroyed vary, but it is certain that dozens disappeared in the initial incident, with more totalled during the hunt for bodies. A Red Cross spokesperson said many of the 233 people displaced have still not received compensation. Shadia Nanyongo's home was buried and she now shares a single room with six other family members. The 29-year-old told AFP she had still not been compensated. The family eats one meal a day and at night squeezes together on two mattresses on the floor. "I pray to God to come with money, because this situation is not easy," Nanyongo said. Her friend, fellow survivor Nansamba, still lives on the edge of the landfill. The stench of garbage fills her house and the area is infested with vermin. She said her children get bacterial infections at least three times a month. Nansamba would like to move but cannot afford to unless the government, which promised compensation, pays out for other houses she owned and rented out and lost in the disaster. Her own house was not destroyed. Memories of the collapse keep her up at night. "You hear dogs barking... you think ghosts have come," she said. 'Hurriedly and illegally' Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) told AFP that compensation would be paid out in September and a new landfill site had been chosen in Mpigi district, around 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the city centre. KCCA says everything has been done legally, but the National Forestry Authority (NFA) told AFP that the new garbage site infringes on a protected forest and wetlands reserve and that city authorities began dumping at the site in late 2024 without their knowledge. "They did it hurriedly (and) illegally," said NFA spokesperson Aldon Walukamba. The city is home to some 1.7 million, according to last year's census, and continues to grow -- meaning such trade-offs between trash and the environment will likely continue. For Bamweyana, the scholar, what is needed is education about waste and recycling. "We cannot keep solving the problem using the same mechanism that created it," he said. © 2025 AFP
Int'l Business Times
5 days ago
- General
- Int'l Business Times
A Year On, Ugandans Still Suffering From Deadly Garbage Collapse
When the giant landfill collapsed in Uganda's capital Kampala a year ago, Zamhall Nansamba thought she was hearing an aeroplane taking off. Then came screams and a giant wave of garbage rushing towards her, ripping up trees as it went. Nansamba, 31, grabbed her children and ran. She was luckier than most -- the avalanche of waste killed some 35 people before stopping at her doorstep. Many survivors of the collapse at the Kiteezi dump on August 9, 2024, have yet to be compensated for their losses, leaving them trapped at the dangerous garbage site. "We are living a miserable life," Nansamba told AFP. Kiteezi is the largest landfill in Kampala, serving the city's residents since 1996, receiving 2,500 tonnes of waste daily. City authorities recommended closing it when it reached capacity in 2015, but garbage kept coming. The disaster highlighted the challenge of managing waste in many rapidly urbanising African cities. A 2017 landfill collapse in Ethiopia killed 116 people. A year later, 17 died after heavy rain caused a landslide at a dump in Mozambique. It doesn't help that wealthier countries send vast amounts of waste to Africa, particularly second-hand clothes, computers and cars. In 2019, the United States exported some 900 million items of second-hand clothing to Kenya alone, more than half designated as waste, according to Changing Markets Foundation, an advocacy group. The Kiteezi collapse "could have been avoided", said Ivan Bamweyana, a scholar of geomatics at Kampala's Makerere University. For a decade, he said, the landfill grew vertically until it reached a height of some 30 metres (98 feet). Early on the fateful morning, rain seeped into the landfill's cracks, causing a fatal cascade. "What is coming can still be avoided," Bamweyana said, of the continued risks at the site. The landfill continues to emit methane gas, which caused fires in February and June. While no longer in official use, locals sneak up its slopes to eke out a living collecting plastic bottles to sell. "I would not be shocked if there was a secondary crash," Bamweyana said. Official figures of the number of homes destroyed vary, but it is certain that dozens disappeared in the initial incident, with more totalled during the hunt for bodies. A Red Cross spokesperson said many of the 233 people displaced have still not received compensation. Shadia Nanyongo's home was buried and she now shares a single room with six other family members. The 29-year-old told AFP she had still not been compensated. The family eats one meal a day and at night squeezes together on two mattresses on the floor. "I pray to God to come with money, because this situation is not easy," Nanyongo said. Her friend, fellow survivor Nansamba, still lives on the edge of the landfill. The stench of garbage fills her house and the area is infested with vermin. She said her children get bacterial infections at least three times a month. Nansamba would like to move but cannot afford to unless the government, which promised compensation, pays out for other houses she owned and rented out and lost in the disaster. Her own house was not destroyed. Memories of the collapse keep her up at night. "You hear dogs barking... you think ghosts have come," she said. Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) told AFP that compensation would be paid out in September and a new landfill site had been chosen in Mpigi district, around 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the city centre. KCCA says everything has been done legally, but the National Forestry Authority (NFA) told AFP that the new garbage site infringes on a protected forest and wetlands reserve and that city authorities began dumping at the site in late 2024 without their knowledge. "They did it hurriedly (and) illegally," said NFA spokesperson Aldon Walukamba. The city is home to some 1.7 million, according to last year's census, and continues to grow -- meaning such trade-offs between trash and the environment will likely continue. For Bamweyana, the scholar, what is needed is education about waste and recycling. "We cannot keep solving the problem using the same mechanism that created it," he said. Many survivors of the collapse at the Kiteezi dump in Kampala have yet to be compensated for their losses AFP The disaster highlighted the challenge of managing waste in many rapidly urbanising African cities AFP
BBC News
6 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
'Abducted' Ugandan university student jailed over anti-Museveni TikTok video
A Ugandan university student who mysteriously went missing two months ago after posting a TikTok video that harshly criticised President Yoweri Museveni's leadership has been Tumwine disappeared on 8 June - sparking accusations from opposition figures and activists that he had been abducted and illegally detained by military an outcry over his disappearance, he was then reportedly left at a police station in Entebbe in mid-July and was subsequently charged with offensive communication and computer pleaded guilty and asked for forgiveness. The magistrates' court in Entebbe sentenced him to two months in jail on Monday, noting his pleas for leniency. Tumwine's sentencing and alleged abduction have raised concerns among human rights activists around freedom of speech ahead of elections next social media ban raises questions over regulation in AfricaUgandan activist alleges she was raped while in Tanzanian detentionAnger as Uganda president's son says he's holding opposition bodyguardIn court, the third-year Makerere University undergraduate admitted to posting the video that prosecutors said was intended "to ridicule, demean and incite hostility".He is alleged to have doctored a clip of the parliamentary speaker's response to a general apology Museveni issued in May to the Baganda people, Uganda's largest ethnic group and who form the traditional Buganda Museveni's nearly four decades in power, relations with the kingdom and its monarch have at times been strained. The kingdom has no political power but remains TikTok post accused the 80-year-old president of not apologising for other things during his time in Tumwine's disappeared in June, Makerere University issued an urgent appeal for information that could help find had been working as an agricultural intern in Hoima, western Uganda, as part of his studies at the time he went weeks ago, the secretary-general of opposition NUP party David Lewis Rubongoya said they had information that Tumwine and another suspect were being held at a police station in Entebbe - having being "dumped" there on 13 alleged they were taken there after being subjected to "incredible torture" at the hands of the country's military intelligence authorities have not commented on these the trial, lawyer and activist Godwin Toko said Tumwine had refused to let lawyers from his organisation or those from the opposition represent him in court."For a man who was abducted, held incommunicado for months, nudged to plead guilty and then sentenced, this is the apogee of injustice that it is not his captor punished, but him getting a criminal record to his name at such a young age," he posted on X on November, 21-year-old Emmanuel Nabugodi was jailed for 32 months after creating a video said to insult Museveni. Months earlier, Edward Awebwa, 24, was sentenced to six years in prison for hate speech and spreading "malicious" information against the first family. You may also be interested in: Uganda's 80-year-old president in bid to extend 40-year ruleUganda leader signs new law allowing military trials for civiliansAre East African governments uniting to silence dissent?How Besigye disappeared in Kenya and ended up in military courtHow an ex-rebel has stayed in power Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
The Guardian
07-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
‘We thought we could be ourselves': they fled Uganda's harsh anti-gay laws only to face the same in Kenya
Sitting on the porch of their shared house on the outskirts of Nairobi, Entity* and Rock* are chatting amiably. Aged 27 and 33 respectively, the Ugandan housemates have much in common – both exiled to Kenya for the the violence they faced at home for being gay. In May 2023, Uganda passed the Anti-Homosexuality Act, infamously one of the world's harshest anti-LGBTQ+ laws, including the death penalty for 'aggravated homosexuality' and life imprisonment for same-sex relationships. The law harshened the 2009 'kill the gays' bill, which had come into effect in 2014 without the death penalty. In December 2022, Entity was at a bar in Kampala when police raided it. 'They took over 100 people to the central police station claiming we were using drugs – which wasn't true,' he says. 'The officers were followed by a group of journalists who filmed us. Our faces were exposed and broadcast live on television without our consent.' Entity spent a month in detention enduring physical and psychological abuse he says, in a 'hell on earth'. Rock also experienced state-sponsored violence. A graduate in communications technology from Makerere University, he had a steady job in Kampala providing technical support and repairing electronics. After the law came into force, he was arrested. 'I was picked up at work by the authorities and taken to jail. They beat me, abused me and tied me up with barbed wire,' he says, showing scars on his arms. After five days in custody, he and six colleagues were blindfolded and dumped out of a vehicle by the roadside. 'Since the law passed, not only has persecution intensified, but civilians also began targeting LGBTQ+ people more aggressively,' says Brian*, a 32-year-old Ugandan who has lived in Kenya since the introduction of the 2014 law. The institutional and social violence he describes was documented by Human Rights Watch in its May 2025 report, Uganda: Anti-LGBT Law Unleashed Abuse. 'Because the government gave them that liberty, people felt entitled to target you, and nobody complained,' says Rock. Entity, Rock and Brian all thought they would find safety in Kenya. 'We thought this was a place where we could be ourselves. But things aren't easy here either,' Entity says. Just weeks after Uganda's law was passed, Kenya emulated its neighbour with the family protection bill – spearheaded by Peter Kaluma, a Kenyan MP known for demonising homosexuality. Yvonne Wamari, senior programme officer for Africa at Outright International, says: 'If passed, it will create an environment of internalised homophobia and put the population in a state of vigilance. 'Laws like this create a moral panic within society that makes people feel as if they need to do something to protect their children and families,' she adds. Such concerns are fuelled by ultraconservative groups such as Family Watch International, CitizenGO and the World Congress of Families – and is amplified at events such as the African inter-parliamentary conference on family and sovereignty, where politicians and faith leaders gathered in Uganda in May to 'defend traditional values'. An investigation by the independent international media platform Open Democracy found that US-based Christian organisations spent more than $54m between 2007 and 2018 promoting anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-abortion agendas in sub-Saharan Africa. While both Uganda and Kenya's bills prohibit same-sex relationships and the 'promotion of homosexuality' – Kenya's proposals go further: banning pronouns, gender reassignment and sex education. Kenya – alongside South Africa – is currently one of only two African countries to officially recognise LGBTQ+ asylum claims. That may change if the family protection bill is passed. 'It includes a morality clause for asylum seekers, which would directly affect those fleeing persecution based on their sexual orientation or gender identity,' Wamari says. Recognition of gender-based refugee status is already difficult. 'Resources that were already stretched are now being drastically reduced,' says Dana Hughes, UNHCR Kenya's communications adviser. 'This is contributing to delays in asylum processing and reducing the capacity of specialised staff to handle sensitive cases involving vulnerable groups.' While there are no official figures on how many Ugandans are seeking asylum due to LGBTQ+ persecution, the UNHCR estimated in 2021 that there were about 1,000 LGBTQ+ refugees and asylum seekers in Kenya – primarily from Uganda. That number has probably increased since 2023. 'There are more than 225,000 asylum seekers in Kenya whose refugee status has not yet been determined, including some with an LGBTIQ+ profile,' says Hughes. Most LGBTQ+ asylum seekers from Uganda are sent to Kakuma refugee camp, a sprawling settlement of 290,000 people. A joint report by the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission and Amnesty International found Kakuma to be 'an extremely dangerous place, marked by hate crimes, discrimination and other human rights violations'. Sign up to Global Dispatch Get a different world view with a roundup of the best news, features and pictures, curated by our global development team after newsletter promotion Aware of the dangers, many choose to make their own way in Nairobi where the Nature Network was formed in 2015 – an LGBTQ+ support group led by Ugandan refugees. It has since established housing on the city's outskirts – shelters where refugees can live in safe environments. 'Here, I feel at home simply because I'm living with people who understand me,' says Entity. Around him, several portraits of queer people from around the world decorate the space near the kitchen. Eight young Ugandans live there. Shelters have been raided and people evicted many times, but there is a safety in being together. 'The fact that we have a roof over our heads, friends and money for food has really affected us positively,' says Rock. In partnership with organisations such as Hoymas (Health options for young men on HIV/Aids and STIs), the group provides activities to support mental health. 'It's simple things – talking, playing games, dancing – that help us not feel alone, to think there are people who care about my wellbeing,' says Brian, one of the Nature Network founders. 'Sometimes we think we're the only ones going through this, but during the sessions we realise we're not. That helps us feel a sense of belonging – a sense of community.' Brian has lived in Kenya for 11 years, and had his refuge status approved six years ago. However, life has become harder since Donald Trump's presidency. John Mathenge, executive director of Hoymas, says: 'The USAID funding cuts, specifically the termination of the Fahari ya Jamii (Pride of the Community) project, have had a devastating impact. 'It accounted for more than 50% of our budget, supporting HIV care, STI services, salaries, outreach and mental health programming for key populations, including LGBTQ+ individuals and sex workers.' The $32m (£23m) project, which supported 72,000 people with antiretrovirals across more than 150 clinics in Kenya, was suspended in February. It has made culture and community more essential. About 20km from the shelter, a series of balls are planned. With dancing, runway fashion walks and performances, they have become places of expression and visibility. But most who attend come from privileged backgrounds while financial barriers and stigma keep others away. 'They're well known figures in the creative scene – musicians, fashion designers, singers, dancers,' says Andeti, 26, founder of the Haus of Andeti – 'a safe space of liberation and resistance for those who just want to feel free and accepted'. 'Making the space truly inclusive remains a challenge,' he adds. 'Those most hesitant and scared to attend are usually from countries where homosexuality is punished even more harshly than in Kenya.' * Names have been changed
The Guardian
07-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
‘We thought we could be ourselves': they fled Uganda's harsh anti-gay laws only to face the same in Kenya
Sitting on the porch of their shared house on the outskirts of Nairobi, Entity* and Rock* are chatting amiably. Aged 27 and 33 respectively, the Ugandan housemates have much in common – both exiled to Kenya for the the violence they faced at home for being gay. In May 2023, Uganda passed the Anti-Homosexuality Act, infamously one of the world's harshest anti-LGBTQ+ laws, including the death penalty for 'aggravated homosexuality' and life imprisonment for same-sex relationships. The law harshened the 2009 'kill the gays' bill, which had come into effect in 2014 without the death penalty. In December 2022, Entity was at a bar in Kampala when police raided it. 'They took over 100 people to the central police station claiming we were using drugs – which wasn't true,' he says. 'The officers were followed by a group of journalists who filmed us. Our faces were exposed and broadcast live on television without our consent.' Entity spent a month in detention enduring physical and psychological abuse he says, in a 'hell on earth'. Rock also experienced state-sponsored violence. A graduate in communications technology from Makerere University, he had a steady job in Kampala providing technical support and repairing electronics. After the law came into force, he was arrested. 'I was picked up at work by the authorities and taken to jail. They beat me, abused me and tied me up with barbed wire,' he says, showing scars on his arms. After five days in custody, he and six colleagues were blindfolded and dumped out of a vehicle by the roadside. 'Since the law passed, not only has persecution intensified, but civilians also began targeting LGBTQ+ people more aggressively,' says Brian*, a 32-year-old Ugandan who has lived in Kenya since the introduction of the 2014 law. The institutional and social violence he describes was documented by Human Rights Watch in its May 2025 report, Uganda: Anti-LGBT Law Unleashed Abuse. 'Because the government gave them that liberty, people felt entitled to target you, and nobody complained,' says Rock. Entity, Rock and Brian all thought they would find safety in Kenya. 'We thought this was a place where we could be ourselves. But things aren't easy here either,' Entity says. Just weeks after Uganda's law was passed, Kenya emulated its neighbour with the family protection bill – spearheaded by Peter Kaluma, a Kenyan MP known for demonising homosexuality. Yvonne Wamari, senior programme officer for Africa at Outright International, says: 'If passed, it will create an environment of internalised homophobia and put the population in a state of vigilance. 'Laws like this create a moral panic within society that makes people feel as if they need to do something to protect their children and families,' she adds. Such concerns are fuelled by ultraconservative groups such as Family Watch International, CitizenGO and the World Congress of Families – and is amplified at events such as the African inter-parliamentary conference on family and sovereignty, where politicians and faith leaders gathered in Uganda in May to 'defend traditional values'. An investigation by the independent international media platform Open Democracy found that US-based Christian organisations spent more than $54m between 2007 and 2018 promoting anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-abortion agendas in sub-Saharan Africa. While both Uganda and Kenya's bills prohibit same-sex relationships and the 'promotion of homosexuality' – Kenya's proposals go further: banning pronouns, gender reassignment and sex education. Kenya – alongside South Africa – is currently one of only two African countries to officially recognise LGBTQ+ asylum claims. That may change if the family protection bill is passed. 'It includes a morality clause for asylum seekers, which would directly affect those fleeing persecution based on their sexual orientation or gender identity,' Wamari says. Recognition of gender-based refugee status is already difficult. 'Resources that were already stretched are now being drastically reduced,' says Dana Hughes, UNHCR Kenya's communications adviser. 'This is contributing to delays in asylum processing and reducing the capacity of specialised staff to handle sensitive cases involving vulnerable groups.' While there are no official figures on how many Ugandans are seeking asylum due to LGBTQ+ persecution, the UNHCR estimated in 2021 that there were about 1,000 LGBTQ+ refugees and asylum seekers in Kenya – primarily from Uganda. That number has probably increased since 2023. 'There are more than 225,000 asylum seekers in Kenya whose refugee status has not yet been determined, including some with an LGBTIQ+ profile,' says Hughes. Most LGBTQ+ asylum seekers from Uganda are sent to Kakuma refugee camp, a sprawling settlement of 290,000 people. A joint report by the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission and Amnesty International found Kakuma to be 'an extremely dangerous place, marked by hate crimes, discrimination and other human rights violations'. Sign up to Global Dispatch Get a different world view with a roundup of the best news, features and pictures, curated by our global development team after newsletter promotion Aware of the dangers, many choose to make their own way in Nairobi where the Nature Network was formed in 2015 – an LGBTQ+ support group led by Ugandan refugees. It has since established housing on the city's outskirts – shelters where refugees can live in safe environments. 'Here, I feel at home simply because I'm living with people who understand me,' says Entity. Around him, several portraits of queer people from around the world decorate the space near the kitchen. Eight young Ugandans live there. Shelters have been raided and people evicted many times, but there is a safety in being together. 'The fact that we have a roof over our heads, friends and money for food has really affected us positively,' says Rock. In partnership with organisations such as Hoymas (Health options for young men on HIV/Aids and STIs), the group provides activities to support mental health. 'It's simple things – talking, playing games, dancing – that help us not feel alone, to think there are people who care about my wellbeing,' says Brian, one of the Nature Network founders. 'Sometimes we think we're the only ones going through this, but during the sessions we realise we're not. That helps us feel a sense of belonging – a sense of community.' Brian has lived in Kenya for 11 years, and had his refuge status approved six years ago. However, life has become harder since Donald Trump's presidency. John Mathenge, executive director of Hoymas, says: 'The USAID funding cuts, specifically the termination of the Fahari ya Jamii (Pride of the Community) project, have had a devastating impact. 'It accounted for more than 50% of our budget, supporting HIV care, STI services, salaries, outreach and mental health programming for key populations, including LGBTQ+ individuals and sex workers.' The $32m (£23m) project, which supported 72,000 people with antiretrovirals across more than 150 clinics in Kenya, was suspended in February. It has made culture and community more essential. About 20km from the shelter, a series of balls are planned. With dancing, runway fashion walks and performances, they have become places of expression and visibility. But most who attend come from privileged backgrounds while financial barriers and stigma keep others away. 'They're well known figures in the creative scene – musicians, fashion designers, singers, dancers,' says Andeti, 26, founder of the Haus of Andeti – 'a safe space of liberation and resistance for those who just want to feel free and accepted'. 'Making the space truly inclusive remains a challenge,' he adds. 'Those most hesitant and scared to attend are usually from countries where homosexuality is punished even more harshly than in Kenya.' * Names have been changed
