The transport sector accounts for about 60% of Uganda's air pollution, with vehicle and motorcycle emissions, as well as dust from unpaved roads, identified as the biggest sources, the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has said.
NEMA Executive Director Barirega Akankwasah said industries account for about 11% of the country's air pollution, while the remainder comes largely from household cooking, open waste burning and other forms of biomass burning.
"The biggest contributor is actually the transport sector in terms of unpaved roads and, of course, vehicles and motorcycles. Up to 60% of our air pollution is accounted for by transport. Industries contribute about 11% only," Barirega said.
He said NEMA has acquired about 30 high-grade air quality monitors that will be distributed across the country to complement existing low-cost monitoring devices.
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Another high-grade reference monitor is also expected to be installed in the Albertine region as the authority expands its national air quality monitoring network.
Barirega said differences in air quality readings reported by various institutions are largely attributable to differences in the type and accuracy of monitoring equipment used.
He said NEMA's own measurements do not support claims that Uganda is among the countries with the worst air quality globally, although he acknowledged that air pollution remains a major concern.
"Our readings tell a different story, but that's not to say our air quality is the best that we desire. Not at all," he said.
Barirega said Uganda now has a stronger legal framework for regulating air pollution, citing the National Environment Act and the National Environment (Air Quality Standards) Regulations, 2024.
The regulations establish standards for ambient air quality, industrial emissions, mobile sources, open burning and other pollutants.
He said the main challenge is no longer the absence of regulations but ensuring that the existing laws translate into measurable improvements in the quality of air Ugandans breathe.
"We have substantially developed a strong legal framework. Our challenge now is moving from the policy and regulatory framework that is robust on paper to having it in measurable improvements in the air that Ugandans breathe," Barirega said.
NEMA has also directed industries to install self-monitoring air quality devices and is working with AirQo to enable industries that cannot afford high-grade equipment to use low-cost monitors.
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Barirega said the authority is strengthening enforcement through inspections, environmental audits and the introduction of an Environment Protection Force.
He said the first cohort of the force was passed out at the Police Training School in Kabalye, with the officers expected to support the enforcement of environmental laws.
On air quality in Kampala, Barirega said a high-grade monitor recorded PM2.5 levels of 28 micrograms per cubic metre, compared with readings of between 40 and 45 micrograms recorded several years ago.
However, he cautioned that Uganda still lacks a sufficiently dense monitoring network to provide a definitive picture of air quality across the country.
Barirega said the government is addressing transport-related emissions through vehicle emission testing, adoption of Euro 4 vehicle emission standards, road paving and the promotion of electric public transport.
He said electric buses and motorcycles are already being piloted, with plans to expand cleaner transport options.
NEMA is targeting a PM2.5 concentration of 5 micrograms per cubic metre, a level Barirega said has not been achieved by any country globally.
"Clean air is not negotiable. Nobody can live without air," he said, calling for stronger action by government agencies, local governments, industries and communities to reduce pollution at its source.
