By Frank Kamuntu
Three former senior officials of the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) were arrested on Wednesday morning after reporting to the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) headquarters in Kampala. The arrests follow an investigation into their role in the Kiteezi Landfill collapse, which claimed dozens of lives in August 2024.
The detained officials include ex-KCCA Executive Director Dorothy Kisaka, former Deputy Executive Director David Luyimbazi, and former Director of Public Health and Environment, Dr. Daniel Okello. Their arrest is part of an ongoing prosecution-led investigation initiated after the tragedy, which buried homes and destroyed property in the surrounding community.
President Museveni had earlier dismissed the officials, citing negligence in their handling of the Kiteezi Landfill. The Inspector General of Government (IGG) report pointed to severe oversight failures, including the officials’ disregard of warnings about the landfill’s capacity and operational risks.
According to the IGG’s findings, Dr. Okello had warned Kisaka in a memo dated July 2, 2024, about the imminent danger at Kiteezi due to waste cliffs and unstable slopes. Despite these warnings, little action was taken to prevent the disaster. Kisaka, however, has denied any wrongdoing, defending her administration’s efforts and claiming that KCCA had addressed the issue adequately.
