Uganda, like many urbanising countries, is facing the challenge of increasing organic waste that is mainly due to the rapid urbanisation and population growth. This has resulted in improper disposal, open dumping, and burning, which have led to air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, environmental pollution, soil degradation, water contamination, and related public health risks. Many urban areas are continuously overwhelmed by the growing population, subsequent rise in organic waste and severe funding shortages from the government. For example, Kampala – the capital city – collects around 28,000 tonnes of waste per month, which accounts for only 40% of the city’s total waste generation. This situation is compounded by the absence of a clear National Waste Management Strategy to provide comprehensive, holistic, and sustainable approaches to managing waste. 

In response, the Ministry of Water and Environment and the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) sought support from the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to develop a national waste management strategy for organic waste. As a result, this led to the initiation of the Strategy for Organic Waste Management Uganda (SOWU) project, which aims to support Uganda in developing a national strategy for organic waste management.

The SOWU project comprises an interdisciplinary team led by International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Stellenbosch University (South Africa), and Ugandan policymakers including NEMA, the Ugandan Ministry of Water and Environment and the African Centre for Clean Air (ACCA), a local non-profit organization, to collaboratively work with local stakeholders.

This brief presents the key insights from the Stakeholder Workshop held from the 16 to the 18th of April 2024 in Kampala, Uganda and findings from the stakeholder mapping exercise.