The Archbishop of Tororo Catholic Archdiocese, Emmanuel Obbo, has asked government to expedite the resettlement of people living in disaster-prone areas of the Bugisu region before the onset of heavy rains expected in October.
Archbishop Obbo says delays in implementing the government’s resettlement programme could expose hundreds of people in the Elgon region to landslides and other disasters. According to meteorological authorities, the Elgon region is expected to receive high rainfall in October, raising fears of landslides in areas already considered disaster risk zones.
Obbo made the call on Sunday while presiding over a mass wedding attended by hundreds of Christians at St. Kaloli Lwanga Kikuyu Catholic Church under Muyembe Catholic Parish in Simu Sub-county, Bulambuli District. He said the government had planned to compensate people living in mapped disaster-risk areas so that they could acquire land elsewhere, while their original land would be handed over to the Uganda Wildlife Authority for tree planting.
The archbishop urged Members of Parliament from the Bugisu region to press the government to implement the programme before the rains arrive. He warned that failure to relocate people from high-risk areas could result in loss of life. Bulambuli Woman Member of Parliament Sarah Wekomba Nambozo said she recently raised the matter on the floor of Parliament, calling for the resettlement of people who remain in disaster-risk areas.
Wekomba also said she reminded government about the poor conditions faced by people who were relocated to the Bunambutye Government Resettlement Area under Phase III of the programme. She said the relocated communities continue to face challenges including inadequate water, schools and health facilities, adding that leaders are still waiting for government to respond to their concerns.
Wekomba urged residents in disaster-prone sub-counties including Buluganya, Bumasobo and Namisuni to consider temporarily relocating to relatives in safer areas before the rains begin. Elgon County MP Mudimi Nyasio Wamakuyu told the archbishop that the resettlement programme would have been completed earlier if it were not for land conflicts involving the Bunambutye land that the government intended to acquire for the relocation of disaster victims.
Mudimi said the government has now decided to provide Shs10 million to each family mapped as living in a disaster-risk area to enable them to move to safer locations, with an additional Shs5 million expected later, bringing the total assistance to Shs15 million per family. Some residents living in disaster-risk areas said they are willing to relocate if the government compensates them but are reluctant to leave their ancestral land without receiving the promised compensation.
Meanwhile, Archbishop Obbo used the occasion to officially hand over the St. Kaloli Lwanga Kikuyu Catholic Church-funded Secondary Seed School. The land on which the school was established was donated by Mudimi, the Elgon County Member of Parliament-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
