Kampala gets 100 air quality monitoring stations

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Kampala city is set to significantly expand its air quality monitoring network with plans to install up to 100 monitoring stations across the city, in a move aimed at strengthening efforts to tackle rising air pollution and its growing public health impact.

The expansion builds on a small but strategic network of existing monitoring points located at City Hall, Nakawa Division headquarters, Kawempe Division headquarters, Kololo Airstrip, and Bakuli traffic junction.

These stations track pollutants such as fine particulate matter (PM2.5), one of the most harmful air pollutants due to its ability to penetrate deep into the lungs and bloodstream.

Air pollution remains a major concern in Uganda, particularly in urban centres like Kampala, where rapid urbanisation, traffic congestion, and industrial activity continue to drive emissions.

Data aligned with World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines indicates that Uganda’s annual mean PM2.5 concentration stands at approximately 50 µg/m³—five times higher than the recommended safe limit of 10 µg/m³.

Health experts warn that prolonged exposure to such pollution levels increases the risk of non-communicable diseases, including stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Globally, air pollution is responsible for an estimated 7 million premature deaths each year, while in Uganda it contributes to nearly 30,000 deaths annually.

In Kampala, the major sources of pollution include vehicle emissions, open burning of waste, widespread use of biomass fuels such as charcoal and firewood, and expanding industrial activity.

The impact is particularly severe among vulnerable populations, including children, pregnant women, and the elderly, with studies linking pollution to impaired lung and brain development in children.

Experts say expanding the monitoring network will improve access to real-time air quality data, strengthen research and policy decisions, and guide targeted interventions such as cleaner transport systems, better waste management practices, and more sustainable urban planning.