Kampala’s waste crisis opens new opportunities for youth

10 September 2026, 3:20 pm

By Byamukama Alozious

Kampala’s growing waste problem is emerging as both an environmental threat and an opportunity for young people to create jobs and businesses.

The city generates between 2,000 and 2,500 tonnes of solid waste every day, according to Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), but a significant amount remains uncollected or improperly disposed of.

Poorly managed waste has consequences beyond dirty streets. Garbage dumped in drainage channels can block the flow of storm water and worsen flooding, while decomposing organic waste in landfills produces methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.

Kampala is already highly vulnerable to flooding, particularly during periods of intense rainfall, making better waste management an important part of the city’s climate resilience.

At the same time, Uganda continues to face high levels of youth unemployment, creating an urgent need for new sources of income and employment.

It is against this background that the Coalition for Health Promotion and Social Development, HEPS-Uganda, has launched the Youth Innovation Challenge 2026 on Solid Waste Management, targeting young people aged 15 to 35.

The challenge seeks young innovators with practical solutions in recycling, waste collection, plastic reduction, composting, organic waste management, upcycling and resource recovery.

HEPS-Uganda Executive Director Kenneth Mwehonge says the initiative builds on the organisation’s work with disadvantaged urban communities, where consultations have identified sanitation, flooding, poverty and disease among major concerns.

Vice President Retired Major Jessica Alupo, represented by State Minister in the Office of the Vice President Diana Mutasingwa, urged young people to use innovation to address challenges in their communities.

KCCA is also exploring ways of turning waste into useful resources. In 2026, the authority launched a biogas facility in Nsambya that converts organic waste into cooking gas, demonstrating how waste can be diverted from disposal sites and turned into renewable energy.

For young people, opportunities exist in waste collection, recycling, compost production, plastic recovery, waste-to-energy and digital systems that connect households with waste collectors.

The HEPS challenge will award Shs5 million to the overall winner, Shs3 million to the first runner-up and Shs1 million each to the top eight finalists, with up to 20 prizes available by October 5, 2026.

As Kampala struggles with growing volumes of waste and increasing climate risks, the challenge is putting young people at the centre of a possible solution turning what is currently seen as garbage into resources, green businesses and jobs while helping build a cleaner and more climate-resilient city.