By Ben Musanje
A major environmental intervention has been launched on the shores of Lake Victoria, with the Saad Kassis-Mohamed Center committing to remove 100,000 litres of plastic waste and microplastic-laden debris from Uganda’s shoreline as part of a wider one-million-litre global cleanup campaign.
The initiative comes at a time when pressure on Africa’s largest freshwater lake is intensifying. Lake Victoria, which feeds into the River Nile, supports more than 40 million people across Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania and underpins one of the world’s most productive inland fisheries.
The Center’s announcement highlights both the scale and visibility of pollution along Uganda’s shoreline, particularly at busy fishing and landing sites such as Ggaba, Port Bell, Lambu, and Kasensero, where plastic waste increasingly mixes with fishing activity and daily commerce.
According to environmental data referenced in the initiative, plastic pollution in Lake Victoria is no longer a surface-level problem. Microplastics have been detected across multiple sections of the lake, with some studies finding that fish are already ingesting plastic particles—raising concerns about food safety and long-term ecosystem damage.
Uganda’s shoreline challenge is closely tied to its national waste system. The country generates an estimated 600 metric tonnes of plastic waste daily, but less than half is formally collected. The rest often ends up in drainage channels and wetlands that eventually empty into the lake. Kampala alone contributes about 100 metric tonnes per day, placing sustained pressure on urban waste infrastructure and shoreline ecosystems.
The crisis is further complicated by cross-border pollution flows. The Kagera River, which carries waste from Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania into Lake Victoria, ensures that plastic pollution is a regional problem rather than a purely national one.
Beyond plastic, the lake is also under ecological strain from invasive water hyacinth, which periodically spreads across large sections of the water surface, blocking sunlight, reducing oxygen levels, and disrupting fishing and transport. These combined pressures are reshaping both the lake’s ecology and the livelihoods of millions who depend on it.
Economically, the stakes are enormous. Lake Victoria’s fisheries support around 100,000 direct jobs and millions more in associated processing and trade. Fish from the lake also provides a major source of protein in Uganda, making environmental degradation a direct threat to food security.
Saad Kassis-Mohamed, Chairman of the Saad Kassis-Mohamed Center, said the 100,000-litre commitment is intended to reinforce—not replace—government and regional efforts. “This lake connects three countries and ultimately flows into the Nile. What happens on one shoreline affects an entire continent downstream,” he said.
He added that the initiative aligns with growing regional recognition that cleanup alone is not enough. “The real solution lies in prevention, enforcement of plastic bans, and coordinated waste systems across the basin.”
The Center is calling on Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania to strengthen joint waste management strategies and accelerate enforcement of restrictions on single-use plastics, warning that continued leakage into the lake risks long-term ecological and economic damage.
Environmental experts have long argued that Lake Victoria’s future depends on shifting from reactive cleanup to prevention at source. With urban growth accelerating and plastic consumption rising, the urgency of that transition is increasing.
As the 100,000-litre cleanup begins, the broader question remains whether regional action can scale quickly enough to match the volume of waste entering one of the world’s most important freshwater ecosystems. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
