By Deus Mukalazi
Board Chair, UBUNTALISM GLOBAL, a member of the MUNGAANO INITIATIVE FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE
Kampala faces an uncertain climate future. Like the rest of the world, Kampala is experiencing climate change, mostly with increased temperatures and more intense rainy seasons, which are less predictable and more erratic, leading to flooding and food insecurity. The recorded temperature has increased by 1.50 °C over the last 50 years. Although the amount of rain hasn’t changed much, it now comes at more unpredictable times. This makes the urgency to build climate climate-resilient city necessary. A Kampala Climate Change Action Strategy was put in place in 2019. City authorities, donors, and planners are investing heavily in infrastructure upgrades—stormwater drainage systems, roads, and greening projects—meant to help the city cope with these pressures. But while these efforts are necessary, they have also created a new crisis: the forced displacement and marginalization of the urban poor.
Across informal settlements in Kampala—such as Bwaise, Katanga, Kinawataka, Lubigi, and Kisenyi—residents are increasingly living in fear of eviction. The very communities that have long been excluded from formal housing, water, and sanitation services are now being blamed for occupying wetlands and flood-prone areas. Under the guise of climate adaptation and environmental protection, entire neighborhoods are being cleared, often without compensation, relocation, or a meaningful chance to be heard. In the rush to make Kampala “climate smart,” justice is being left behind.
Climate risks in Kampala do not affect everyone equally. Informal settlements, which house over 60% of the city’s population, are often built on marginal lands such as wetlands, steep slopes, or floodplains. These areas were not chosen out of preference but out of necessity. They reflect decades of neglect in housing policy, rising land values in central areas, and a failure to provide affordable alternatives for low-income earners.
When floods hit, these communities suffer the worst losses—destroyed homes, waterborne disease outbreaks, disruption of livelihoods, and death. Yet when adaptation projects are planned, these same communities are often treated as the problem rather than partners in the solution.
True climate resilience requires acknowledging this imbalance and addressing it, not reinforcing it. It is not enough to build bigger drainage channels or expand roads if doing so leaves the most vulnerable even worse off than before.
One of Kampala’s flagship climate actions is wetland restoration. Wetlands are vital ecosystems that regulate floods, purify water, and store carbon. However, the implementation of wetland recovery projects in urban areas has largely targeted settlements of the urban poor, not the factories, upscale homes, or commercial developments that have also encroached on wetlands—sometimes with tacit approval or licenses.
This selective enforcement raises critical questions. Why are evictions more common in low-income settlements than in commercial zones? Why are ordinary citizens penalized for settling in places where the state failed to provide alternatives? And why is there no serious effort to integrate housing, livelihoods, and climate adaptation into a single, coherent urban plan? The answer lies in the lack of climate justice framing in Kampala’s urban adaptation strategies.
Adaptation without justice is no adaptation at all.Adaptation, by its very definition, should enhance the ability of communities to cope with climate shocks—not expose them to new vulnerabilities. If building a storm drain means displacing hundreds without compensation, it is not resilience—it is injustice disguised as progress.
Just urban adaptation must be guided by the principle of “not harm.” This includes: securing land for vulnerable residents, especially those with long histories of informal occupancy, meaningful participation in planning processes, where communities help shape the projects that affect them, equitable compensation and resettlement, not only for physical displacement but also for economic and social disruption and integration of nature-based solutions with inclusive urban design—like retaining wetlands while upgrading housing in adjacent communities. Without these safeguards, adaptation becomes yet another driver of inequality and exclusion.
Cities around the world are demonstrating how climate resilience can be built with, not against, the poor. In Durban, South Africa, informal settlements have been integrated into flood management plans through co-designed infrastructure and participatory mapping. In Nairobi’s Mukuru slum, residents developed their climate resilience strategies, which were adopted into the city’s adaptation plan. These approaches are not only more just—they are more effective, because they are rooted in the lived realities of those most affected.
Kampala can do the same. Uganda’s own National Climate Change Policy recognizes the need for socially inclusive adaptation. The Kampala Climate Change Action Strategy also emphasizes equity and citizen engagement. The challenge is translating these principles into practice on the ground. What is needed now is a shift in mindset—from “clearing the poor to save the environment” to “working with the poor to protect both people and nature.” This means investing in informal settlement upgrading, enhancing community-based early warning systems, and ensuring that urban infrastructure is designed to serve everyone—not just the privileged.
Climate change will reshape Kampala in profound ways. But the question is: will we allow it to deepen injustice, or will we use it as an opportunity to build a fairer, more resilient city? Urban adaptation must not be reduced to engineering projects and technical blueprints. It must be a democratic process that centers the voices, needs, and rights of all city residents—especially the poorest.
The floods that engulf Kampala’s slums are not just the result of climate change. They are also the outcome of policy choices, governance failures, and social neglect. If we want a resilient Kampala, we must first build a just Kampala. Let us not solve one crisis by creating another. Climate resilience must never come at the cost of human dignity, inclusion, or justice.
