Umukuuka writes to Museveni over resettlement drive in Bugisu
The affected families are scattered across the districts of Bududa, Namisindwa, Manafwa, Bulambuli and Sironko.
The Umukuuka of Bugisu, Jude Mike Mudoma consulting one of his cabinet ministers. (File)
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The Umukuuka of Bugisu, Jude Mike Mudoma, has written to President Yoweri Museveni over the recent launch of the sh62b resettlement exercise for thousands of residents living in landslide-prone areas in the Bugisu sub-region, saying there is a need for an integrated management framework.
Each of the over 13,000 affected households will be offered a one-off cash resettlement package of sh18m to move to a safer place.
The affected families are scattered across the districts of Bududa, Namisindwa, Manafwa, Bulambuli and Sironko.
In a letter dated October 22, 2026, a copy of which New Vision Online has seen, the Bugisu cultural leader told the President that his office acknowledges the urgent intervention by the Cabinet and the subsequent launch of the exercise with great appreciation.
“The provision of the sh18m full package per household is an essential primary step to facilitate the immediate evacuation and purchase of land in safer areas. However, because physical relocation from ancestral homes induces deep social, economic and psychological shock, an immediate cash package alone cannot guarantee long-term survival,” he wrote.
“To ensure absolute accountability, these disbursements will be governed by strict oversight conditions managed jointly by the government and the cultural institution. This critical safety net will allow our people to voluntarily vacate high-risk areas without the use of administrative force, powerfully depicting that the government deeply cares for the lifelong dignity of her people,” Mudoma said.
He also noted that moving entire families from their ancestral land is an economic, psychological, and logistical disruption.
The Umukuuka, therefore, noted that adjusting the recovery package to sh750,000 per quarter paired with rigorous oversight conditions, provides the Government with an airtight guarantee of financial accountability, while extending a practical compassionate lifeline to the Bamasaba people.
“I request a consultative audience with you, Your Excellency the President, to formally present this harmonised blueprint, combining state resources with cultural ability to save lives, preserve dignity, and demonstrate the compassionate leadership of the Government,” he told the President.
He copied his letter to the Prime Minister, Robinah Nabbanja, and the chairperson of the Bugisu Parliamentary caucus and Butiru County legislator, Godfrey Wakooli Matembu.
When contacted on Wednesday (October 28), Haji Faruk Kirunda, the deputy presidential press secretary, said he had not yet seen the letter.
Nabbanja explains
On October 21, 2026, the Government launched the resettlement package initiative, under which households in landslide-prone areas in Bugisu sub-region will receive sh18m each as a one-off financial support to facilitate their relocation from high-risk to safer areas.
Speaking at the launch in Namisindwa district, Nabbanja said the initiative is part of the broader resettlement programme that the Government has been implementing since 2010 to protect Ugandans and their livelihoods from disasters.
She said the households would start receiving the money the following day.
“Each beneficiary household is required to use the resettlement package to purchase land in safer areas in Bugisu or elsewhere in Uganda. This decision is based on the fact that it is hard to find large tracts of land for the resettlement programme in Bugisu,” the premier said.
She thanked President Museveni, who chaired the Cabinet meeting on October 5, 2026, that resolved that households be given the one-off financial support.