Green Gains & Cleanup: Kampala’s Push to Turn the City Greener and Cleaner
With 8,500 new trees, landfill stabilization, and road beautification, KCCA aims to reshape Kampala’s natural and public spaces.
Kampala is making visible strides toward becoming a cleaner, greener city. In its fiscal 2024/25 report, the Kampala City Authority has rolled out several environmental and urban beautification interventions: planting thousands of trees, tackling the long-standing issues at Kiteezi landfill, and improving the cityscape along major roads like Nile Avenue and Jinja Road. These efforts are not only aesthetic—they’re about public health, flood resilience, and restoring pride in public spaces.
Key Interventions
Tree planting: Over 8,500 trees planted across divisions. These serve as shade, clean air, and cooling for neighbourhoods.
Landfill stabilization: The Kiteezi landfill—long a source of public concern—has begun stabilization works, with attention to gas emissions, leachate and drainage, supported by a $1M grant from Japan via UN-Habitat.
Beautification and enforcement: Roads like Nile Avenue/Jinja Road are being beautified; misuses of green spaces (illegal dumping, encroachment etc) are increasingly being enforced.
Impacts & Challenges
Positive effects: Reduced environmental hazards, cleaner air, safer environments; psychological boost to residents; possible reduction in flood risk via improved drainage.
Challenges: Maintenance (trees need care, roads need upkeep), ensuring that all divisions benefit (not just central/affluent ones), budget constraints, and preventing future misuse of spaces after beautification.
Kampala’s green push shows that urban transformation is not just about big roads or buildings—it’s also about trees, clean public spaces, and environmental justice. As KCCA continues these efforts, success will depend on sustained funding, community participation, and institutional follow-through.
