By KT Reporter
Expectant mothers in Tajar Parish, Kamutur Sub-County, Bukedea district, are living in fear due to the poor health services in the area. Tajar, which has been severely affected by floods, faces various challenges, including the lack of a nearby health center for pregnant women to give birth.
On the evening of Friday, August 29, 2025, Christine Namataka, a 21-year-old expectant mother, was due to give birth in their flooded home in Tajar. Due to the flooded roads, the community resorted to carrying Namataka to the nearest facility in Bulambuli district.
According to Sarah Namutosi, the deceased’s mother, Namataka was expecting her first child. However, due to the absence of a maternity ward at Tajar Health Center II, the community offered to carry her on a bed to Muyembe Health Center III in Bulambuli district, located about five kilometers from their residence. Upon arrival at the facility, Namataka had no energy left, prompting the midwives to refer her to Kapchorwa Hospital, where she underwent surgery but later died.
Namutosi, who is now left with a two-day-old baby, is currently caring for the infant in her flooded house in Tajar. “The community came together to help her; she was laid on a bed as they carried her to the health center,” she said.
Beth Nabaya, an expectant mother who is eight months pregnant and already has six children while expecting her seventh, noted that she is currently living in fear. “Since I began giving birth, I have never visited a hospital. I have always given birth at home, assisted by traditional birth attendants in the village,” she explained.
Nabaya pointed out that poor road conditions have contributed to her delivering at home. Although she goes for antenatal care at the facility, giving birth becomes very challenging because she has to walk more than eight kilometers to either Muyembe Health Center III or Kolir Health Center III, which are both over five kilometers away.
Jackline Nafula, a 36-year-old mother of seven who is also eight months pregnant, expressed her fears about giving birth at home. “What has happened in the community has left all the women with a lot of fear. My eldest is eighteen years old, and since then, I have been giving birth at home because we don’t have enough facilities here in Tajar. Even when you visit our nearest facility, there are no services. This has forced us to rely on village birth attendants, which we know is risky, but we have no choice because the roads are so poor that no vehicle can pass, not even a boda boda,” Nafula said.
James Mande, Nabaya’s husband, shared his struggles. “It has been hard when it comes to my wife’s deliveries. We don’t have a hospital here for our women to give birth in, so we have resorted to using traditional birth attendants. Politicians only come here to look for votes, but once the campaigns are over, we are left with no way forward to help us.”
Rogers Nabiyambe, the area councilor of Tajar, noted that the floods have caused various problems for the community. “Top leaders have failed to find solutions to the challenges we face due to the floods, which have resulted in crop destruction, loss of animals, and now the loss of one person. That night, six residents worked for more than five hours carrying Namataka to Muyembe Health Center III after realizing she could not give birth at home like others. We managed to get a bed and carried her to the health facility along a very muddy road. When we reached the facility, the midwives welcomed us, but upon assessing her condition, they found Namataka already weak. She was referred to Kapchorwa, where a C-section was performed, but the doctors informed us that she was too weak to survive,” Nabiyambe recounted.
He added that more than ten women have given birth at home in Tajar since the floods began, despite the presence of Tajar Health Center II, which lacks a maternity ward. “We have raised our concerns to the district leaders, including the office of the DHO and RDC. We have submitted reports, including one about Namataka’s death, but we were given hope that Tajar Health Center II would be upgraded soon to include a maternity ward,” he stated.
The Bukedea District Health Officer (DHO), Emmanuel Okalany Odeke, said, “We are in the final stages of completing the maternity ward at Tajar Health Center. The ward has been built, and we are waiting for the contractor to hand it over. We have all the necessary equipment at the district to install in the ward.”
Weeks ago, thousands of residents in Tajar were displaced due to heavy downpours in the Elgon Mountain. The relentless rains caused the Sironko River to overflow, leading to flooding that devastated hundreds of agricultural plantations. Crops such as maize, rice, and cassava were destroyed, exacerbating the plight of the affected communities. The torrential rains also severed all access roads in the area, isolating the region from Bulambuli and Bukedea.
The Tajar Bridge was washed away by the raging waters, further impeding relief efforts. In the wake of this disaster, many residents have sought refuge in nearby centers, churches, and the abandoned classrooms of Tajar Primary School.
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