Relief organisations urged on venturing into disaster preparedness

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Kasese District has over the years experienced devastating effects of climate change including floods, mudslides, soil erosion and prolonged droughts. This has led to loss of lives, properties and the displacement of thousands into internally displaced person's (IDP) camps.

Because of this, over time, various relief organisations respond to the effects by giving relief to the affected people, resettling them and soliciting quick and temporary solutions to the problem at hand.

Kasese disaster management committee principal secretary and chairperson, Mustafa Kikusa, says reacting to disaster is unsustainable. He has, therefore, urged all relief organisations both government and non-governmental to venture into support initiatives of disaster preparedness, including river channel desilting, planting trees along river banks and community sensitisation programmes.

Kikusa was on February 23, 2025, addressing residents in Kasese district's Kyarumba town council while representing the chief administrative officer (CAO) at the handing over of cheques worth sh301,925,000 to three climate adaptation groups.

They included Bwitho women and men, Nyambuko Development groups in Kasese and Kyankwanzi Bakyara Tukorerehamwe Biika Oguze group from Rubirizi district. The funds were from the International Institute For Sustainable Development (IISD), which is a Canada-based organisation through partners, including World Wide Fund (WWF), Kiima foods and under their programme known as Climate Adaptation And Protected Areas Initiative (CAAPA).

"You beneficiaries must own the various projects and sustain them," Kikusa said.

Kikusa also appealed to all organisations to always involve the district leadership in their planning to enable them serve the right people at the right time but also ensure equal distribution of resources among victims affected by climate change. 

Funders and partners speak out

Aleco Crawford, on behalf of IISD, confirmed that they gave out a cheque of money worth sh301m to support their climate adaptation activities. (Credit: Samuel Amanyire)

Aleco Crawford from IISD said: "That money is intended to support their climate change mitigation activities including tree planting, sensitisation programmes, river desilting, installation of rain water harvesting tanks among others".

He added that the move to support various communities intends to engage the local population, especially women being the most affected by climate change as part of the global campaign to mitigate the world's most frustrating environmental challenge.

"We look at promoting natural solutions to strengthen climate resilience and biodiversity conservation in most affected areas," he said.

Annet Tumwine a representative from WWF recounted that over the years they have sensitised communities about environmentally friendly activities to be done in areas neighbouring rivers and mountains including planting trees, river channel desilting, and making trenches among others.

"For areas neighbouring national parks, animals have continuously invaded people in search for foods because of the invasive species [of weeds] taking over," Tumwine said.

Ivan speaks out

Kyarumba town council LC3 chairperson, Ivan Bwambale Bibuwa, said the funding is timely especially as rain harvesting tanks are going to be installed in the community to address the challenges of soil erosion, mudslides and river flooding.

"But again I recommend that constant desilting should be done on River Nyamugasana, more indigenous trees be planted along the banks to prevent it from breaking through the community," Bwambale said.