KCCA Allocates Shs50 Million to Combat Bedbug Infestation in Kampala

Updated by Faith Barbara N Ruhinda at 1104 EAT on Monday 13 July 2026

KAMPALA — Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has allocated Shs50 million to support the eradication of bedbugs in communities across the city, responding to growing public concern over the persistent infestation.

The funding was announced during the weekly Weyonje community clean-up exercise, led by KCCA Executive Director Hajat Sharifah Buzeki. Held every Saturday, the initiative aims to promote public hygiene, proper solid waste management and waste segregation at source.

During the exercise in Kawempe One Parish, residents appealed to KCCA to intensify efforts to combat the rising infestation of bedbugs and cockroaches, saying the pests have become a major public health concern in many parts of Kampala.

The clean-up attracted participation from officers of the Uganda Police Force, the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), and representatives of the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), underscoring a collaborative approach to improving sanitation in the city.

Henry Mpiima, a representative of the PLU, said the organisation has mobilised young people to spearhead Bulungi Bwansi community clean-up activities. He noted that the initiative started at the village level and has since expanded to parish level, encouraging greater community participation in maintaining a clean and healthy environment.

Mpiima said volunteers have been fumigating homes as part of the campaign but are struggling to keep up with the growing number of households affected by bedbug and cockroach infestations.

He appealed to KCCA to provide additional resources to scale up the initiative and reach more communities across the city.

Joseph Kibuga, the LC I chairperson of Kawempe Kirokole, Kawempe Division councillor and deputy mayor of Kawempe Division, said many residents endure bedbug infestations in silence due to the stigma associated with the problem.

He said the extent of the infestation is evident from the large number of residents who regularly approach him seeking fumigation chemicals to rid their homes of bedbugs and cockroaches.

Kibuga attributed the surge in infestations to poor sanitation, overcrowded housing and inadequate ventilation, noting that these conditions create an ideal breeding environment for the pests.

Buzeki urged local leaders to identify the areas most affected by bedbug infestations to enable KCCA teams to target interventions more effectively. She stressed that maintaining proper household hygiene remains critical in controlling both bedbug and cockroach infestations.

She also warned residents against establishing illegal dumping sites, saying offenders risk prosecution under the law. Buzeki further encouraged vendors removed from city streets to relocate to existing KCCA and privately owned markets as the authority explores the development of additional market spaces.

Kibuga, meanwhile, raised concerns over inadequate waste collection services, saying Kawempe Division lacks sufficient garbage trucks to effectively manage solid waste.

He called on KCCA to deploy more trucks and prioritise the construction and upgrading of the Kiyanja drainage channel to address persistent flooding in the area.

In response, Buzeki acknowledged that KCCA currently operates only 34 garbage trucks to serve the entire city. She said Parliament had approved funding in the current financial year for the procurement of five additional trucks.

On drainage infrastructure, Buzeki said KCCA has for years faced funding constraints that have delayed the construction and rehabilitation of drainage channels. However, she revealed that President Yoweri Museveni in March directed the Ministry of Finance to fund Kampala’s drainage improvement plan.

She said KCCA will begin work on major drainage channels, including Lubigi and Nalukolongo, while routine maintenance of other channels will continue as additional funding becomes available.

-Observer

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