RCE Greater Kampala works to advance awareness, capacity building and appropriate action for ESD, environmental protection, and improvement in livelihoods and health for slum dwellers in Kampala.

Kampala, the Capital City in Uganda is located in the RCE Kampala region. Kampala is the administrative, political, commercial, industrial, and educational centre of Uganda. Part of Kampala is on the shores of Lake Victoria, the largest tropical lake in the world and the largest (by surface area) freshwater lake in Africa.

Kampala City has the highest population, in comparison to other urban centers in Uganda. Uganda has one of the highest population growth rates in the world at 4 %. This presents an enormous challenge for that rate of growth to be sustainable.  At the same time, there has been rapid urbanization as substantially large numbers of people have moved from rural to urban areas to access basic services, which are still lacking in many rural areas and for employment opportunities. However rural to urban migration on this vast scale has not resulted in better opportunities for a large proportion of the population. Instead large numbers of people remain unemployed or in petty jobs, including cutting and burning trees for charchoal, contributing to deforestation and degradation of the environment.

At the same time, having large numbers of unemployed people in, and around Kampala, has contributed to rising crime rates and various forms of violence. In many slums on the fringes of Kampala City, overcrowding and water and sanitation issues are challenging. The majority of people in the slums on the outskirts of Kampala live below the poverty line. Given the issues noted, massive unsustainable energy use and amplified greenhouse gas emissions exacerbate carbon foot prints. There is an urgent need for effective strategies for positive outcomes and sustainable development.