The #KampalaBreathes draws inspiration from the UrbanBetter Cityzens for Clean Air initiative, which mobilised young people in Cape Town, Accra, and Lagos to collect air quality data using wearable sensors during their runs.. A snapshort from the presentation by @PublicSquareEA
In Uganda’s capital city, the air carries more than just the scent of traffic and burning waste—it carries death.
According to SOGA, 2024, Kampala’s average annual PM2.5 levels are ten times higher than the World Health Organization’s safe limit, placing it among the most polluted cities globally.
Each year, over 2,000 Kampala residents and more than 14,000 Ugandans die prematurely due to air pollution-related complications.
For children under five, air pollution is responsible for over 40% of deaths from lower respiratory infections.
Yet despite these grim statistics, air pollution remains one of the least talked-about environmental issues in Uganda.
According to a 2022 Afrobarometer survey, air pollution ranked as the least important environmental problem among Ugandan citizens.
This disconnect between the scale of the crisis and public concern was at the heart of a presentation made by @PublicSquareEA at the Africa Clean Air Forum, July 15-17 in Nairobi.
Their initiative, #KampalaBreathes, is showing how data, community engagement, and storytelling can flip the script on environmental apathy and serve as a replicable model for other African cities grappling with similar realities.
A Crisis in Plain Sight
“Kampala’s air: A public health emergency.”
That was the stark headline on one of the opening slides.
Despite strong policy frameworks such as the Kampala Clean Air Action Plan (KCAAP) and the National Environment (Air Quality Standards) Regulations, enforcement remains weak.
According to the presentation, “the challenge is implementation and public demand for enforcement.”
But how do you generate public pressure when the threat is invisible?
The #KampalaBreathes Solution: Citizen Science as Social Investment
The campaign introduced Community Participatory Sensing—an innovative, people-powered model that equips ordinary citizens with low-cost air sensors and trains them to collect real-time air quality data.
Participants include boda boda riders and runners, people who experience Kampala’s polluted air intimately and daily.
By collecting hyperlocal PM2.5 data with portable AirBeam monitors, these citizen scientists help transform abstract numbers into vivid, lived experiences.
“This transforms them from passive victims into active agents of change and data storytellers,” the presentation noted.
The campaign also embraces a digital-first strategy, using platforms like X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, and YouTube to share the data in real time under hashtags like #KampalaBreathes and #RunForCleanAirUG.
These visual stories and community voices travel far wider—and resonate far deeper—than standard policy briefs or scientific papers.
Building on UrbanBetter: From Cape Town to Kampala
The model draws inspiration from the UrbanBetter Cityzens for Clean Air initiative, which mobilised young people in Cape Town, Accra, and Lagos to collect air quality data using wearable sensors during their runs.
KampalaBreathes adapted this model to reflect its urban context.
By including boda boda riders—an occupational group heavily exposed to traffic emissions and dust the campaign captured more varied data and expanded participation across socio-economic lines.
From Data to Influence: Telling Stories That Spark Action
The presentation highlighted a key insight: “Stories move people, data proves the point.”
While scientific evidence provides credibility, personal stories such as a rider describing their persistent cough or a runner noting how they avoid certain roads create the emotional connection needed to drive public concern.
“Hyperlocal data is a powerful truth-teller,” the presenters explained.
For example, telling someone that the air quality on their specific daily commute is 42 times the safe limit makes the issue immediate and undeniable.
This emotional and scientific framing enabled the campaign to reach over one million people online within weeks of launch.
The team observed a fundamental shift in online discourse from apathy to concern, and positioned citizen-generated data as a credible tool for policy advocacy.
Reframing Social Investment: People at the Centre
Beyond technical infrastructure, the campaign challenges traditional notions of environmental investment.
Rather than treating citizens as passive recipients of aid or information, #KampalaBreathes recognizes them as primary knowledge producers.
“Citizen scientists are the most trusted messengers,” the presentation stated. And as such, they deserve not only training and tools, but compensation.
The initiative positions community monitoring as work, not volunteerism, highlighting the need to fund the time, risk, and effort of those on the frontlines of the crisis.
This people-centred approach to air quality monitoring could redefine how funders, policymakers, and researchers view sustainability and accountability.
Reflections from the Ground: Lessons, Challenges, and the Way Forward
The final slides of the presentation captured the campaign’s core learnings, offering valuable insights for anyone seeking to replicate or support similar work across the continent.
What Worked: Key Lessons
- Stories Move People, Data Proves the Point: Data builds credibility, but narrative drives engagement. A compelling personal story can shift public attitudes faster than a spreadsheet.
- Hyperlocal Data Resonates: Broad warnings are easily ignored. When people see pollution levels in their neighbourhood or on their commute, it becomes personal.
- Citizen Scientists Are Trusted: Messages delivered by local riders or runners carry more community weight than official statements from institutions.
- Digital Campaigns Have Reach: The use of social media allowed rapid scaling of awareness, reaching over a million people with limited resources.
Challenges Still to Overcome
- From Outrage to Action: While public awareness has grown, the campaign now faces the challenge of converting that sentiment into policy enforcement, such as paving roads or regulating industrial emissions.
- Sustainability and Scale: Maintaining the network requires ongoing funding for additional sensors, data processing, and remuneration for community members.
- Digital Divide: The current model is heavily online. Reaching offline or vulnerable populations will require strategies like radio programs, community forums, and vernacular storytelling.
Calls to Action
- For Policymakers: Use citizen-generated data to enforce clean air regulations and direct budget allocations where the data shows the greatest need.
- For Researchers: Integrate low-cost sensor data with regulatory monitoring to build more complete pictures of air quality exposure.
- For Funders: Invest in long-term, community-led monitoring infrastructure that treats participants as co-creators, not subjects.
- For Africa: #KampalaBreathes is not a one-off. It is “a replicable model.” With support, similar campaigns could spark a continent-wide movement for clean air.
Conclusion: Breathing the Change
In Kampala, the solution to the air crisis is no longer a mystery. It’s riding boda bodas, jogging along potholed roads, and posting real-time pollution maps online.
Through #KampalaBreathes, @PublicSquareEA has shown that with the right mix of technology, trust, and storytelling, ordinary citizens can lead extraordinary change.
The rest of Africa is watching—and breathing in the inspiration.
