“We stand with you in these difficult times”: Uganda’s Religious Leaders to Victims of Garbage Landslide

Kampala, 20 August, 2024 / 10:41 PM

Religious leaders in Uganda have expressed their solidarity and spiritual closeness with victims of the August 9 garbage landslide that left at least 35 people dead.

The 36-acre garbage dump known as Kiteezi is the only one serving the whole of the Ugandan capital city, Kampala, home to an estimated 4 million people, according to an August 12 BBC report. 

The high piles of garbage were loosened by heavy rains, sending it tumbling down onto houses that had been constructed near the dump. 

On August 18, Ugandan police reported that at least 35 people were confirmed dead, with 28 still missing; rescue teams have continued to search for the missing persons. 

Speaking during a prayer service at Kiteezi Primary School on August 19, the members of the  Inter-Religious Council of Uganda (IRCU) assured the affected families that they are not alone in their suffering.

“We stand with you in these difficult times and pray that God comforts you,” IRCU Chairperson, Archbishop Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu of the Church of Uganda told the survivors.

The religious leaders, who include representatives from the Uganda Episcopal Conference (UEC) expressed their awareness of the challenges those displaced by the disaster are facing.

“I know you have many questions, but some may not have answers. You worked for years to build a home, and now it's gone. Some families lost their innocent children in this tragedy,” Archbishop Kaziimba told the survivors, who are currently staying at the Kiteezi playground that is hosting 120 women, 146 children, and 62 men.

He called upon the Ugandan government to spearhead assistance to the affected individuals, saying, “The Ministry of Disaster and Preparedness must do more to address this situation.” 

The IRCU, a body that unites various faith-based institutions in Uganda, organized the August 19 service to offer spiritual support and distribute food donations to the victims.

In his remarks during the prayer session, the IRCU Chairperson underscored the need for “practical government intervention to alleviate the suffering of the displaced families.”

He called for “immediate action to provide proper accommodations and ensure that those who lost their homes receive the help they need.”

Following the service, IRCU members issued five key recommendations to President Yoweri Museveni-led government.

“The government should often act promptly to the advice and warnings by technical and professional personnel related to projected disasters by regulators such as the National Environmental Authority (NEMA) to avoid such catastrophes,” the religious leaders said in their recommendations read by IRCU Co-chair, Archbishop Jeronymos Muzeeyi of the Uganda Orthodox Church.

They added, “Government structures for social workers, humanitarian organizations, and religious and faith-based institutions should provide psycho-social support and counsel to victims of this disaster.”

IRCU members further underscored the need for the government to “set up special livelihoods and housing projects for the victims to ensure quick economic recovery and long-term community and household resilience.”

“To ensure a coordinated approach to the organic waste management framework within the country, the government should start the process of reforming the waste management policy and system,” they added.

The religious leaders also urged the government of the East African nation to “improve on funding for continuous environmental impact assessment and mitigation and integrate it into its planning processes at all levels.”