By Johnstone Baguma & Kellen Kanyunyuzi:
This article presents part of interventions (in Urban Waste Management) undertaken by our Partner ToroDev a member of the DataCities Consortium to contribute to the building of practical and resilient data systems in Uganda’s emerging cities, since 2023. The piloting of these interventions is currently underway in cities of Jinja and Fort Portal, in the eastern and western regions of the country, respectively. Here, we introduce the SafiSiti Waste Management Data System that is an initiative and artifact aimed at supporting the generation of data and processing it to support routine and complex city decisions, planning, budgeting and policymaking processes for a cleaner and smarter Jinja City. The genesis of the SafiSiti originates from the baselining and co-creation activities between DataCities team and city authority between 2023 and 2025. Ultimately, SafiSiti is expected to support the city’s vision of transitioning into an industrial and tourism city in Uganda.
Globally, urban waste generation is rising at an unprecedented rate. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) projects that municipal solid waste could increase from approximately 2.1 billion tonnes in 2023 to nearly 3.8 billion tonnes by 2050, if current patterns of consumption and urbanization continue (Lenkiewicz et al., 2024). Across Africa, rapid urban growth, infrastructure deficits, and limited municipal financing mean that a significant proportion of about 70% of waste remains uncollected or openly dumped, with serious implications for flooding, pollution, climate emissions, and public health (UNEP, 2018; Kaza et al., 2018).
In Uganda, national assessments and policy analyses including the National Environment Act, 2019 (NEMA, 2026) and solid waste management guidance and regulations 2020, highlight persistent systemic gaps in urban waste management and policy analyses highlight similar systemic gaps including low recycling rates, inadequate engineered landfills, and overstretched facilities such as the Kiteezi Landfill in Kampala, reflecting the difficulty urban authorities face in keeping pace with population growth and expanding commercial activity.
Within the above broader context, and reflecting on the earlier study coupled with the development of key performance indicators (KPIs) by the DataCities Initiative (Kanyunyuzi et al., 2024), Jinja City mirrors both continental and national trends, rising daily waste volumes, limited segregation at source, financing constraints, and the need for stronger coordination between the city and private service providers. With support from the DataCities initiative on urban waste management through the SafiSiti Platform, Jinja City is working to address these challenges by strengthening urban waste data governance, improving waste tracking and service monitoring systems, and promoting evidence-informed planning. This positions the city as an emerging example of how emerging cities in Uganda and Africa can transition from reactive urban waste management toward more sustainable, data-driven and urban waste management systems.
