Kampala, Uganda’s vibrant capital, is slowly suffocating under a cloud of toxic air. Once praised for its hills and beauty, the city is now gaining a darker reputation as one of Africa’s most polluted urban centers. That isn’t an exaggeration. It’s a growing public health crisis that threatens millions of lives every day.
In 2022, Kampala was ranked among the most polluted cities in the world, with air quality levels far above safe thresholds set by the World Health Organization (WHO). While government interventions since then have helped reduce pollution to some extent, Uganda still ranked 23rd globally in air pollution by 2024 out of 195 countries. This is a statistic that should alarm every Ugandan.
The sources are both visible and widespread: a growing number of old, poorly maintained vehicles crowding the roads; construction dust from a city expanding without proper planning; smoke from roadside cooking stoves burning charcoal or firewood; and open burning of garbage in both urban slums and high-end suburbs.
Even factories, often operating without modern filters, quietly release harmful emissions into the air. Combine all this with deforestation and weather conditions that trap pollutants, and Kampala becomes a hotbed of health hazards.
According to the Ministry of Water and Environment, transport remains the biggest culprit. Kampala’s roads are jammed with second-hand vehicles imported from abroad many without functioning exhaust systems.
These cars sit in traffic for hours, pumping harmful gases directly into the atmosphere. The situation worsens with clouds of dust from unpaved or poorly maintained roads.
Yet, beyond the coughing and the haze lies a deadlier truth: air pollution is killing people.
The World Economic Forum reports that more than 28,000 deaths occur annually in Uganda due to poor air quality.
According to the Uganda National Institute of Public Health (UNIPH), respiratory diseases like asthma, pneumonia, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are on the rise, particularly among children and the elderly. Long-term exposure also increases the risks of heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, and pregnancy complications.
“Every week, we treat children struggling with severe coughs and asthma attacks that are linked to the polluted air they breathe,” says Dr. James Okello, a pediatrician at Mulago Hospital. “Something has to be done.”
The government is responding. In 2024, the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) rolled out new Air Quality Standards Regulations, aiming to reduce harmful emissions from vehicles, factories, and construction sites.
There are also new partnerships in place with organizations like the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), helping Uganda monitor pollution and implement better policies.
Uganda has even developed a National Plan for Short-Lived Climate Pollutants like methane and black carbon substances that not only warm the planet but poison the air we breathe.
These are good steps, but they are not enough on their own.
The fight for clean air requires more than policies it demands collective action. Every Kampala resident can play a part. Choosing to walk, cycle, or use public transport instead of driving a personal car reduces emissions. So does avoiding the burning of household rubbish, conserving electricity, and embracing clean energy options like gas or solar.
Experts also stress the need for stronger enforcement of emission standards, better urban planning, improved waste collection systems, and greater access to affordable clean cooking fuels. Unless these are prioritized, the city’s air and the health of its people will only get worse.
Kampala is struggling to breathe, and that struggle mirrors the silent suffering of its people. If we continue down this path, the future will be clouded not just in smog, but in preventable illness and death.
Clean air is not a luxury. It is a basic human right.
The question we must ask ourselves now is simple: What are we doing to protect that right before it’s too late?
