Kampala showcases air quality efforts at global health summit

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Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has showcased the city’s efforts to improve air quality at the Partnership for Healthy Cities Summit in Rio de Janeiro, where more than 50 cities gathered to share strategies for tackling non-communicable diseases and building healthier urban environments.

Led by executive director Sharifah Buzeki, the Kampala delegation highlighted how the city is using technology and community-based approaches to monitor and respond to air pollution.

Speaking at the summit, Buzeki emphasised Kampala’s commitment to innovation and collaboration in building healthier communities. She noted that the summit offers a critical platform for knowledge exchange, enabling cities to learn from one another and strengthen collective action against urban health challenges.

In her presentation, she highlighted the deployment of more than 100 air quality monitors across the city, creating one of the most extensive urban air monitoring networks in Africa. The devices provide real-time data on pollution levels, enabling authorities and the public to track air quality in different parts of Kampala.

In Uganda, air pollution has become a critical health crisis, claiming more lives annually than HIV/AIDS. National estimates from the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) indicate that approximately 30,000 Ugandans die every year due to air pollution-related illnesses.

KCCA officials pointed to the introduction of real-time air quality alert systems, which notify communities of rising pollution levels and allow for quicker response to potential health risks. In addition, the city has established a network of community air quality champions who work within neighbourhoods to help identify sources of pollution and raise awareness about its dangers.

In Kampala alone, a 2024 study by Makerere University School of Public Health linked 7,257 deaths over a four-year period from 2018 to 2021 to long-term exposure to fine particulate matter, accounting for nearly 20 percent of all city deaths.

Kampala is also working with partners, including Bloomberg Philanthropies and Vital Strategies, to develop an Air Quality Ordinance and a communication strategy aimed at strengthening enforcement and increasing public awareness.

Officials said the initiatives form part of a broader data-driven approach that places citizens at the centre of environmental management and decision-making.

The city has further launched the Clean Air Action Strategy 2025 to 2026 to 2029 to 2030, which outlines plans to improve air quality, protect public health and enhance environmental resilience.

KCCA noted that Kampala’s approach emphasises transparency, with air quality data made publicly accessible to promote accountability and encourage community engagement.

Co-hosted by the World Health Organisation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Vital Strategies and the Municipal Health Secretariat of Rio de Janeiro, the summit was held from March 30 to April 2, 2026. It brought together health officials, urban planners and global experts from 55 cities to share proven, scalable solutions that are already improving health outcomes.