The Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has been urged to institutionalize air-quality interventions to ensure proper and sustainable management of the city’s air. The call came during a visit by a delegation from Dhaka City, Bangladesh, on a four-day benchmarking exercise in Kampala.
Speaking on behalf of Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, Olive Namazzi, KCCA Woman Councillor for Nakawa and City Minister for Health, Environment, Education, and Sports, emphasized the need for a dedicated air-quality management unit within KCCA, complete with its own budget, instead of relying on donor-funded initiatives such as those supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies and Vital Strategies.
Namazzi also highlighted the importance of cooperation among government agencies, including the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), the Ministry of Works and Transport, and the Police, noting that Kampala residents have a right to breathe clean air. Citing the World Health Organization (WHO), she said nine out of ten people globally breathe polluted air and called for public sensitization about how daily activities, such as open garbage burning, contribute to poor air quality. Namazzi revealed that KCCA is developing an air-pollution ordinance, supported by Vital Strategies, and the Lord Mayor is working to fast-track its implementation.
KCCA Executive Director Hajjat Sharifah Buzeki stated that although Kampala’s air quality remains within NEMA thresholds, stronger interventions are needed to protect public health. WHO recommends that fine particulate matter (PM2.5) should not exceed 5–15 micrograms per cubic meter, yet Kampala’s annual averages range between 30 and 60 micrograms per cubic meter—exceeding WHO limits but within NEMA’s national standard of 35 micrograms per cubic meter.
Buzeki noted that the city’s air pollution is largely driven by everyday activities such as traffic emissions, dust from unpaved roads, and charcoal use for cooking. With Kampala’s population growing, KCCA has developed an action plan and installed more than 100 air-quality monitors across all five divisions. The authority has also expanded its greening efforts to absorb pollutants.
Additionally, Village Health Teams (VHTs) are now serving as air-quality champions, with four members per village responsible for monitoring readings and mobilizing interventions. Buzeki reaffirmed Kampala’s commitment to peer learning under the Global Partnership for Healthy Cities, noting Bangladesh’s decision to benchmark from Kampala as recognition of the city’s progress.
Joseph Ngamije, Deputy Director of the Partnership for Healthy Cities Africa, leading the delegation, said the initiative supports urban leaders in implementing evidence-based policies to prevent non-communicable diseases. He noted that air pollution is a leading contributor to poor urban health, linked to heart disease, lung cancer, asthma, and chronic respiratory illnesses, causing an estimated seven million premature deaths annually, with Africa accounting for 1.1 million.
Ngamije commended Kampala for its extensive air-quality surveillance system—the largest in the region—providing reliable data to support action against pollution. Abul Hasnat, Superintending Engineer of Dhaka North City Corporation, added that Uganda’s National Air Quality Management Authority offers lessons that Dhaka hopes to adapt for improving urban environmental governance.
Reports from The Daily Star and Somoy News indicate that Dhaka has experienced poor to unhealthy air quality in late 2025, with the Air Quality Index frequently placing the city among the most polluted globally, worsened by the approaching dry season.
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