Dr. Daniel Okello, KCCA’s Director of Public Health, is facing allegations of gross negligence and dereliction of duty following the devastating Kiteezi landfill disaster. Okello’s leadership and decision-making have been called into question as investigators uncover damning evidence of his role in the tragedy
KAMPALA – New developments have emerged in the Kiteezi tragedy saga, contradicting initial reports that praised Dr Ayen Daniel Okello, Director of Public Health at KCCA, for his timely warning about the impending disaster. Although Okello wrote a memo to KCCA Executive Director Ms. Dorothy Kisaaka on July 2nd, alerting her to the potential tragedy, investigators now claim that he failed to treat the matter with the urgency it deserved.
Sources reveal that Okello’s memo did not convey a sense of emergency, and he did not follow up on his letter to ensure prompt action was taken. “An office like the KCCA executive director’s receives a high volume of letters daily. If you’re writing about an emergency, you should follow up to ensure it’s addressed promptly,” an investigator noted on Sunday.
This website has learned that the letter, written on July 2nd, only reached the Executive Director’s attention on July 16th. Investigators believe Okello should have followed up on his letter, given the gravity of the situation at Kiteezi landfill, which ultimately claimed 35 lives.
When the Executive Director saw the letter and asked Okello to cost his recommendations and revert back to her office for further action, he delayed working on it for nine days. Moreover, he delegated the task to his junior, which raised concerns among investigators. Although Okello’s letter included costings, he failed to bring it to the Executive Director’s attention, prompting investigators to question his professionalism.
“Notably, Okello’s letter was addressed to both the Executive Director and Deputy Executive Director simultaneously, which is unconventional in official correspondence,” said an investigator. “First of all, the letter was addressed to Executive Director and Deputy Executive Director at the same time. That’s not how official letters are written. You can’t write to the President, Vice President, and the Prime Minister at the same time. He should have clearly indicated that the letter had enclosures.”
“The construction of the memo doesn’t befit a director writing about an emergency,” added an investigator. “It didn’t show any enclosures and had no attachments, which is unusual for a document requesting urgent action.”
In the letter, Mr. Okello had requested UGX 1 billion to supposedly stabilize the slopes of the garbage dump. However, despite the urgency of the situation, he failed to follow up on his request. On July 10, the Ministry of Finance released quarterly cash limits to government agencies, including KCCA, which received up to UGX 22.67 billion. On July 23, the KCCA Finance Committee met to distribute and release the funds for first-quarter activities.
Notably, between July 2nd and 23rd, KCCA’s top management held three finance committee meetings, during which Mr. Okello, a vote holder, never mentioned the Kiteezi issue as an emergency. According to the minutes seen by investigators, Mr. Okello didn’t say a word about Kiteezi, despite claiming that he had warned authorities about the impending disaster. This omission raises further questions about his handling of the situation.
As investigators dig deeper into the Kiteezi tragedy, they are moving closer to unraveling the truth behind the devastating incident. The evidence gathered so far suggests a shocking lack of urgency and accountability from Mr. Okello, who claims to have warned authorities about the impending disaster.
The fact that Mr. Okello donated UGX 350 million to the Director of Physical Planning during the July 23rd meeting, without mentioning the Kiteezi emergency, raises serious questions about his priorities. It appears that he was more focused on securing funds for other projects than addressing the critical situation at Kiteezi.
As the investigation reaches its final stages, it is becoming increasingly clear that Mr. Okello’s actions may have contributed to the tragic outcome. His failure to treat the situation with the urgency it deserved, combined with his questionable allocation of funds, may ultimately lead to severe consequences.
“We won’t be surprised if the man who scored first in this tragedy ends up in jail,” said an investigator, hinting at the possibility of criminal charges against Mr. Okello. As the truth continues to unfold, it is clear that those responsible for the Kiteezi tragedy will be held accountable for their actions.
Mr. Frank Kyazze, the Deputy Resident District Commissioner (RDC) in charge of Kasangati Town Council in Wakiso District, last week stated that some government officials must be held responsible for the devastating incident that has claimed over 35 lives.
Without naming individuals, Mr. Kyazze emphasized that the Kiteezi landfill tragedy was not an accident, but a man-made disaster that could have been avoided. “I strongly believe this wasn’t an accident. If it was, then it was a man-made accident; so someone must be held responsible for whatever happened because this is the landfill that KCC [now KCCA] has used for the past 20 years,” he said.
Mr. Kyazze’s comments come as investigators are finalizing their report, which is expected to reveal shocking details of negligence and mismanagement. The evidence gathered so far suggests that Mr. Okello, the Director of Public Health at KCCA, failed to treat the situation with the urgency it deserved, and his actions may have contributed to the tragic outcome.
He stressed the importance of addressing the root cause of the problem.
“And one could really see that this has been a disaster in waiting for a very long time. And what hurts is that even a week after it has happened, there is a possibility of even happening again, because heaps of garbage are still at that height, they told so, really, something must be wrong, somehow, somewhere. And if you are to leave things to go the way they are going, No, I don’t think we shall be heading in the right direction,” he added.
