More than a year after the catastrophic landfill collapse in Kiteezi in August 2024, survivors continue to grapple with profound mental health challenges, unretrieved bodies, and unfulfilled government promises of compensation.
The Ministry of Health has highlighted that many affected individuals remain trapped in a cycle of grief, anxiety, and economic hardship, with little progress toward recovery. Pastor Joshua Ariho, a survivor who lost his entire family in the disaster, shared his ongoing struggle during the World Mental Health Day commemoration held at Kiteezi last week. Speaking to the Daily Monitor, he described how the tragedy erased his home, his wife’s thriving shop, and, most devastatingly, his loved ones whose bodies remain buried beneath tonnes of waste. ‘I was staying in that place, Kiteezi.
I lost my family, wife (Justin Mutesi), and a son (Agasha Innocent),’ he said. ‘Since that garbage covered my people, they have never retrieved the bodies, and we have never been compensated by the government.’ The pastor’s pain is compounded by relentless nightmares and a sense of abandonment. ‘We are not okay. Every day, I’m getting bad dreams of my wife and the child,’ he said. On the morning of the collapse, Pastor Ariho had left home early, unaware of the impending disaster. ‘I left them sleeping, and when the garbage came, it just covered them in the house,’ he narrated. In the chaotic aftermath, he pleaded with authorities to deploy an excavator to search for his family.
‘When it happened, I talked to them to bring an excavator, then they said that they don’t have fuel. I asked them, ‘Am I the one to pay for the fuel, yet they are the ones who brought that problem?’ he said. ‘But they insisted the government cannot get that fuel. In my calculations, I want like Shs100 million. I can build my house and start another business. Right now I am staying at my sister’s home,’ he added. His plea for Shs100 million reflects not just financial need but a desperate bid to rebuild a shattered life. Another survivor, Mr Fred Mutawe, spoke on behalf of the affected community, echoing calls for urgent government action.
He narrowly escaped death but lost everything else. ‘I was inside the house when the tragedy happened. I was not able to recover anything except my life. We have nothing to feed our children. School fees are a problem, and landlords are evicting us from their houses,’ he told Daily Monitor. ‘We are urging the government that we are not criminals. We are people who bought our land to settle on, and this tragedy was brought about by negligence. We have never been compensated,’ he added.
Officials speak
Dr Hafsa Lukwata, assistant commissioner for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Control at the Ministry of Health, confirmed that survivors are experiencing severe psychological distress. She said the ministry will work with partners in the mental health sector to address the issues. ‘Most of them have both physical and emotional problems. So their physical illnesses have not gone down. Also, they continue to worry. They are worrying so much,’ she said. She said the disaster exacerbated pre-existing anxieties and introduced new layers of trauma. ‘They are lacking basic needs. Some of them are not working very well, and some of them were working within that area (landfill), so they lost their work.
And even some people have continued to suffer the anxiety that they had even before, and it has become worse now,’ she added. While initial mental health interventions were provided in partnership with NGOs immediately after the incident, Dr Lukwata acknowledged their limitations. ‘We felt people had become much better, but some of them are telling us that that was then. When we left, things became even worse, and they continued to suffer. But for now, they’re telling us that time is helping them to heal,’ she said. She credited community and religious institutions with offering sustained support. ‘Time has helped them to heal, and also the fact that certain things have been put in place.
They have a church here. They say religious institutions are working very well. They have some mosques in this place; those who are Muslims go for prayers, and the prayer people have helped them a lot,’ she added. Ms Mercy Gracy Omona, a clinical psychologist who heads the Secretariat of the Uganda Parliamentary Forum on Mental Health, delivered a message of solidarity and commitment. ‘We deeply acknowledge the courage and resilience of the people of Kiteezi, especially the survivors and families affected by last year’s tragic landfill incident,’ she said.
‘We recognise the psychological and social challenges many continue to face. In this regard, the Uganda Parliamentary Forum on Mental Health, Parliament of Uganda, shall coordinate closely with our mental health partners, professional bodies, and community organisations to ensure that the survivors and affected families receive the support and care they need,’ she added.