Uganda's waste crisis: 'My friend died in Kiteezi rubbish dump'

Months after a deadly collapse, some seek compensation, saying Kiteezi dumpsite is still unsafe.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatch LiveHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcastsRadioAudio FAQsVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveWeatherNewsletters'My best friend went to work - and was crushed to death by rubbish'1 day agoShareSaveHasham CheemaBBC News, KampalaShareSaveBBCFighting back the tears, 22-year-old rubbish collector Okuku Prince recalls the moment his best friend's lifeless body was found at a massive rubbish dump in Uganda's capital, Kampala.

The landslide at the Kiteezi dump last August killed 30 people, including his friend Sanya Kezia.

"I think some people are still underneath the garbage," he tells the BBC.

Many of them eked out a living by washing and selling whatever discarded items they found that still had value - anything from fishing nets to plastic bottles, glass jars and the components of old electronic devices.

A blame-game erupted after the fatal collapse, with Kampala's city council and central government accusing each other of negligence, while some of the dead still languished under tonnes of rubbish without the dignity of a burial.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgepq6269vo

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