KAMPALA — Uganda’s capital has installed more than 100 air quality monitoring stations to track pollution and support public health policies, drawing a delegation from Harare to learn from its experience, according to local media reports.
The network, established in 2018, is designed to help authorities make informed decisions on pollution control and urban planning. Kampala’s population swells from about 1.7 million at night to 3.5 million during the day, a daily influx that contributes to traffic congestion and worsening air pollution concerns.
The visiting Zimbabwean delegation is examining how Kampala uses the data to shape policy. Harare plans to develop a similar system to tackle its own sources of air pollution, including industrial emissions, vehicle exhaust and charcoal burning during power outages.
The initiative underscores a growing recognition across African cities that rapid urbanization requires data-driven environmental management. With more than 100 monitoring stations, Kampala has built one of the region’s more extensive air quality networks, providing near-real-time information that can be used to identify pollution hotspots and evaluate the impact of interventions.
For public health officials, the data is seen as a tool to link air quality to respiratory illnesses and other health outcomes, helping justify stricter emissions controls and better urban design. For city planners, it offers evidence on how transport, industry and household energy use affect the air residents breathe.
Zimbabwe’s interest in replicating the model reflects a broader trend of South-South cooperation, where African cities share technical expertise and practical solutions. Harare’s challenges—industrial emissions, aging vehicles and reliance on charcoal during electricity shortages—are common across the continent, making Kampala’s experience directly relevant.
The delegation’s visit could pave the way for further collaboration between the two capitals, including training, data sharing and joint research. No timeline has been announced for when Harare might roll out its own network, but the fact-finding mission signals a concrete step toward that goal.
As African cities continue to grow, the pressure to balance development with environmental and public health will only intensify. Kampala’s monitoring network, and the interest it has generated in Harare, suggests that regional cooperation may become an increasingly important part of the response.
