Shifting The Needle

Joining this episode to talk about the challenges of Solid Waste Management is Helena McLeod (the Team Lead of Cities and Infrastructure for Growth (CIG)) and Dr. Najib Bateganya Lukooya (Urban Sanitation Expert with CIG). CIG is a five-year UKAid funded initiative that provides demand-driven technical assistance to address constraints hindering urban development in the Jinja–Kampala–Entebbe corridor, emphasizing the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area (GKMA).

Uganda's rapid population growth and urban migration bring several development challenges including Solid Waste Management (SWM). At the forefront of the issue is proper disposal. Less than 50% of all waste makes it to a designated landfill. As a result, plastic pollution from bags and bottles, among other waste, is littering the land and choking waterways. Then the second major challenge is appropriately managing the waste that does reach the landfill. Kampala has one landfill, Kiteezi, which serves approximately 5 million people and receives about 1,300 tons of trash per day. However, the landfill is past its intended life span, under-engineered, suffers safety and environmental problems and is full. A new landfill is scheduled to open in approximately two years. Still, there remain issues on how and who will close the current landfill properly, the future use of the closed landfill site, the associated job losses from the landfill moving, and how to open and maintain a better new location.

Furthermore, as no one wants a landfill in their neighborhood, protests are expected surrounding opening the new location. However, the issue of SWM needs to be dealt with soon. Future projections show that by 2030, annual waste is to increase by approximately 60% for Kampala. 

Additional resources:

www.ugandacig.com

https://youtu.be/SvTu5V60_KE

https://www.kcca.go.ug/Waste-Treatment-and-Disposal

In episode seven of Shifting the Needle, we speak with Lakshmi Moola the Uganda Country Director at the International Fund For Agricultural Development (IFAD). With a focus on "investing in rural people," in Uganda, IFAD is working to increase the incomes of rural households living in poverty, along with improving their food security and reducing their vulnerability. Most of the rural population in Uganda depend on Agriculture for their livelihoods. In response, IFAD's activities target two groups: poor smallholder households who have the potential to commercialize their economic activities, and extremely vulnerable households, who have limited livelihood options and are generally bypassed by development initiatives.

To find out more information:

https://www.ifad.org/en/web/operations/w/country/uganda

Music Credit: Artist: Fugazi / Song: Long Division /Album: Steady Diet of Nothing / Discord Records

Access to land is fundamental to the majority of Ugandans. Yet, approximately 70-80% of the population do not have legally documented land titles (USAID/Uganda, Uganda Land Links). As a result, conflicts over land access and ownership are common. An estimated one in four Ugandans experiences land-related justice problems. Land disputes cause a lot of stress and ultimately affect people’s ability to provide for themselves and their families. Compounding the issue is Uganda’s population density which is increasing rapidly, placing significant pressure on land use and demand. Despite progress made to address land-related legislative issues, the land sector faces several challenges that include insecurity of tenure, overlapping and conflicting land rights, and glaring inequity in access to and ownership of land.

In this episode, Esther Obaikol, a Land Governance expert with over 20 years of experience working on land issues, joins for an in-depth discussion on land challenges to development.

What are some of the governance issues hindering Uganda's development? In this episode, we are joined by Joel Mundua, the Governance Specialist at United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), to explore issues of inadequate resourcing of districts, mechanisms to improve revenue collection,  district proliferation, and the need for a regional approach to development. 

In episode two of Shifting the Needle, we interview Ofir Drori, an Israeli writer, educator, and activist.  Mr. Drori is the founding director of the EAGLE Network (Eco Activists for Governance and Law Enforcement), which is leading the fight against wildlife crime in Africa. The EAGLE Network tracks down major wildlife dealers illegally trading in ivory, animals, and animal parts using undercover investigations and raids. Their work has led to the arrest of more than 2,500 wildlife traffickers, including a crime syndicate responsible for killing an estimated 300 elephants per month since the 1980s.

To find out more about Mr. Drori and the EAGLE Network, follow the link below:

https://www.eagle-enforcement.org/

In the first episode, I explore the issue of ritual mutilation and child sacrifice in Uganda with Pastor Peter Micheal Sewakiryanga. Peter is the director of Kyampisi Childcare Ministries (KCM) which was founded to protect vulnerable children. They have established a school, maternal health clinic, and rehabilitation center for children with disabilities. However, their largest program area is the fight against Child Sacrifice.

Linked to cultural beliefs, ritual mutilation and sacrifice of children, unfortunately, occur regularly across Uganda.  Many people in Uganda seek the council and support of spiritual healers, also known as traditional healers or witch doctors. In most communities, there is a witch doctor with a shrine who provides a variety of services from spiritual counsel, medical treatment, matchmaking, and wealth creation. It is believed that they have direct connections to the spirit world to help people overcome any challenge. However the greater the problem the greater the expense and the required sacrifice to the spirits.

KCM has been the leading organization in the fight against child sacrifice, by raising awareness, supporting police to conduct arrests, lobbying to strengthen laws, and providing medical attention and physiological support to victims and their families.  

"Shifting the Needle" takes an in-depth look at the key challenges hindering Uganda's development. Following the central question of "how to support Uganda's journey to self-reliance and foster locally-led development?" the host Dan Shamblin, an international development consultant with eight years of experience in Uganda, explores a variety of development topics, including; climate change adaptation, population growth, health, economics, governance, trade, and renewable energy.