Muyunga Bruno is a Born-Again Christian. His hardworking, self-motivation, flexibility, proactivity, creative abilities, effective communication and interpersonal skills enable him to any work environments with openness to learning. Bruno has a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology from Uganda’s YMCA Comprehensive Institute. He has a certificate in cyber security and routing and switching skills. He worked with Samasource Uganda, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Company as a data Associate worker in charge of analyzing multiple information sources to resolve factual discrepancies. Muyunga has served as Guild President in 2021-2022 at YMCA Comprehensive Institute. He also served as a volunteer with Kibaale Community Center, an orphan and needy education funding organization in Rakai district, Uganda. Muyunga greatly provided a hand in youth empowerment programs such as the Peace & Capacity-Building Initiative and Own Your Future Initiative as a proprietor and member, in the move to educate, skill and empower youths about capacity-building, sexual life and mindset change programs. Muyunga Bruno has been an intern student and a volunteer as a support staff in networks, biometrics and maintenance departments under Chieftaincy of Integrated Resource Management Information Systems, (CIRMIS) at the Uganda Peoples Defense Force (UPDF). His passion for environment sustainability made him able to represent Uganda in the 2024 World Environmental Education Congress (WEEC) in Abu Dhabi UAE, Presenting about Access to “Access to clean water and proper sanitation as a fundamental human right in Africa.” On return, he was Invigorated to organize an Environmental awareness competition with Speaking 4 the Planet organization at St. Mark’s College Namagoma, a school of over 3,000 students where he currently works as an I.T and Environment Officer in March 2024.
Muyunga Bruno is a Born-Again Christian. His hardworking, self-motivation, flexibility, proactivity, creative abilities, effective communication and interpersonal skills enable him to any work environments with openness to learning.
Solid Waste Management in Uganda
Case study, “Kampala Capital City”
Kampala city sits on 189 SQ KM with a resident population of over 1.5 million people, doubling daily to over 4 million. The capital city boasts of being the 13th fastest growing city on earth and the best city to live in, in East Africa.
It is also the home for almost all the nation’s formal offices, and vital government agencies, the headquarters for most of the White and blue-chip companies, a hub for Tech startups, and a bustling informal sector.
With an ever-expanding population and increasing urbanization rates, solid waste management became a day’s mounting challenge including factors like inadequate infrastructure, limited resources, and informal waste disposal practices.
In 2011, the government of Uganda instituted the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), with a vision of creating a city that all Ugandans can live to be proud of for its cleanliness, planning, and safety.
KCCA managed to legalize a 35-acre disposition facility in Kiteezi which can accommodate up to 1000 tones per day out of over 2000 tones of garbage generated by Kampala daily. The land field has not only been beneficial for garbage collection but also an employment avenue for about 800 people who are workers there, other living creatures like wild animals, marabou storks, vultures, and many more survive on the dirty gold that sits in Kiteezi.
The Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) and other stakeholders are implementing various initiatives to improve waste management practices and promote sustainable behaviors among residents. Key strategies include strengthening waste collection and disposal systems, expanding recycling, and raising public awareness about the importance of waste reduction, segregation, and proper disposal.
Adopting technology-enabled solutions such as waste collection tracking systems, mobile applications, and geographic information systems (GIS) to enhance efficiency, transparency, and accountability in waste management operations.
Provision of digital tools to enable real-time monitoring of waste collection routes, optimization of resource allocation, and data-driven decision- making, improving the effectiveness and reliability of waste management services while reducing operational costs and environmental impacts. Encouraging community-based approaches, such as neighborhood clean-up campaigns, waste segregation at source, and community composting initiatives, empower residents to take ownership of waste management and contribute to a cleaner and healthier urban environment.
Fostering a sense of collective responsibility and environmental stewardship, these grassroots efforts complement formal waste management systems and promote sustainable behaviors that reduce waste generation and promote resource conservation. While significant progress has been made in waste management in Kampala, challenges remain in achieving a truly sustainable and inclusive waste management system.
The proliferation of solid waste still poses significant environmental and public health risks, with implications for air and water quality, disease transmission, and urban aesthetics. Rapid urbanization and population growth exacerbate the volume of waste generated, overwhelming existing waste management infrastructure and exacerbating environmental pollution. Limited funding, inadequate infrastructure, and institutional capacity constraints continue to hinder efforts to address the root causes of waste generation and pollution effectively.
Informal settlements, lacking proper waste collection services, often resort to open dumping, burning, or illegal disposal of waste, further compounding the problem and undermining efforts to promote cleanliness and sanitation in the city. Moreover, partnerships with private sector entities, civil society organizations, and community groups are leveraged to effectively mobilize resources, expertise, and innovation to address waste management challenges. Behavioral change and community engagement efforts require sustained investment and long-term commitment to overcome cultural, social, and economic barriers to sustainable waste management practices.
Looking Forwards
Not forgetting that the facility which has not been enough for Kampala city’s waste is now up to capacity and raises a great concern for yet another facility. There's a great indicator that waste management is still a great challenge for a single City in Uganda with other efforts like community engagements and awareness since there is no space for garbage collection as the only Kiteezi has been filled up. In other cities and parts of the country, Solid waste management is not as different from that in the capital city, perhaps worse. This doesn’t undermine many other efforts that have been employed like recycling, burning, treatment, government policies like plastic barns, and among other efforts. But we should be reminded that the Land field can only accommodate 1000 tonnes a day, yet the city produces 2000 tonnes daily, leaving 50% of the garbage per day poorly disposed off.
In the same regard, Kiteezi hasn’t had a flowering reception among the natives of Kiteezi and its neighbours as they suffer from poor drainage systems, lots of houseflies, foul smells, and diseases as the result of the Land field effects.
Recommendation
As Kampala continues its journey towards sustainable development and environmental resilience, waste management is a critical priority requiring collective action, innovative solutions, and multi-stakeholder collaboration. By harnessing the power of technology, community engagement, and policy interventions, Kampala can transform its waste management landscape, reduce environmental pollution, and create a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable city for current and future generations to enjoy. There is a growing plastic pollution in the country arising from improper waste disposal creating a great need for managing solid waste in a climate- smart way since poor management results in climatic and environmental concerns. Encouraging recycling companies and waste-to-energy initiatives as compared to companies that produce solids would contribute greatly to combating solid waste. Conclusively, the need for youths and children's involvement and engagement as major stakeholders through education and awareness programs is also critical strategy in future environmental sustainability.