Zamhall Nansamba stands in front of her house in Kiteezi, a suburb of Uganda's capital Kampala, her 1-year-old son in her arms. Flies buzz around her, and the smell of garbage fills the air. Her flip-flops keep her feet just above the muddy dirt floor.

One year ago, on August 9, 2024, an avalanche of rubbish from the adjacent landfill almost buried Nansamba's family and her home.

The mother of two says she was extremely lucky. "I got up early that morning to do the housework," she recalls.

"When I heard a noise I went outside. I saw the trees and the rubbish coming," she says, her lips trembling. "I grabbed my two children and we ran."

The 31-year-old points up at a huge mountain of waste —Kampala's municipal landfill — towering above her detached house. Last August, tons of waste thundered down the slope and buried more than 70 houses. Thirty-four bodies were recovered, more than 20 people are still missing and some 220 residents were left homeless. Later, officials said a methane explosion triggered the landslide.

That day completely changed life for Nansamba's family. When she returned to see if her house was still standing,........

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