Brewers' fire leaves 200 homeless in Nabilatuk

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At least 46 households were reduced to ashes after a fire broke out while a local brewer was frying fermented sorghum flour to make Ebutia, a traditional brew, in Nabilatuk District.

The evening inferno occurred on February 24, 2025, in Nakobekobe Village, Nakobekobe Parish, Nabilatuk Sub-County, leaving an unspecified number of women and children among the most affected.

When New Vision visited the village on February 25, 2025, smouldering heaps of threshed sorghum—once stored food for the families—were still emitting smoke as the wind carried ashes across the settlement. Elderly women huddled under makeshift shelters made of grass, poles, and twigs.

A pawpaw tree, once a source of fruit for the community, stood charred beyond recognition but remained firmly rooted in the middle of the destroyed settlement.

Naduk, one of the victims, said her three children survived unhurt, as the fire broke out while most people were preparing supper.

“It’s God’s blessing that we did not lose any lives in the village,” she said. She added that children had lost their bedding, school books, clothing, and even the village savings box, which contained cash, in the inferno.

However, she expressed concerns about rebuilding their homes, as wildfires had destroyed the grass for thatching, local sisal, and twigs needed for construction.

“Our fear is that the rains could return at any time next month,” she said. “We are worried about how to start preparing gardens on empty stomachs. How do we fight malaria now that all mosquito nets were destroyed? How do children go back to school?”

Nakokobe village razed down by brewers fire in Nabilatuk district Feb. 24, 2025. (Photo by Olandason Wanyama)

Over 200 rendered homeless

Jane Francis Asio, the district community development officer, confirmed that over 200 people had been left homeless.

“Fires have now become a menace in most of our villages,” she said. “People have lost a lot of property in recent times.”

According to Asio, the fire started when a woman brewing local beer was roasting fermented sorghum flour. Strong winds blew flames onto a nearby hut, igniting the fire.

“At the time, the brewer had stepped into her hut, about 30 metres away, when the wind carried the flames onto the dry grass-thatched roof,” Asio explained.

“Within minutes, the entire settlement was in flames,” she added, noting that a dozen goats were burnt to death.

One elderly woman, who was suffering from malaria, was rescued from the fire by villagers who braved the raging flames.

Asio said the woman, whose name she could not immediately confirm, was admitted to Nabilatuk HC IV in critical condition.

Elderly mothers left homeless take shelter from the scorching sun in Nakobekobe village, Nabilatuk district on Feb. 24, 2025. (Photo by Olandason Wanyama)

Authorities speak out

Nabilatuk chief administrative officer, Richard Madette, said the 46 households affected by the fire were among many destroyed in recent fire outbreaks.

He urged the community to be vigilant about fires set for cooking or rubbish disposal.

“The winds have become wild,” Madette warned. “If people do not take precautions, more villages will be destroyed by fires.”

He added that the ongoing drought in Karamoja was worsening food shortages.

“It may be hard to keep hungry people,” he noted.

In the past few weeks, about 1,800 households in the Karamoja sub-region have lost their livelihoods to mysterious fires or blazes started by rat hunters.

Area Member of Parliament, Achia Rwemigio, urged his constituents to exercise caution when using fire in their homes.

“Most homesteads are built out of grass and sticks, making them highly vulnerable, especially during the drought,” he said.

“Temperatures are high, and strong dry winds from the Indian Ocean, passing through the neighbouring Turkana Desert, are intensifying each day,” Achia noted, adding that the entire sub-region should prioritise tree planting.