Bududa landslide houses to be handed over to government

Mar 18, 2019

The function was graced by all members of parliament from the affected districts, Minister for energy Irene Muloni, Disaster minister Hilary Onek and Musa Echweru and some of the landslide affected family members.

(Picture by Paul Watala)

Uganda Peoples Defense Forces (UPDF), and Police will in three weeks hand over the first phase of 101 houses to the government, to resettle the first most vulnerable Bududa landslide victims in Bunambutye Sub County in Bulambuli district.


The revelation was on Saturday made by Martin Candia, the UPDF engineering Brigade foreman.

Candia told Julius Muchunguzi the senior communication officer, in the office of the prime minister and the New Vision, that over 95% of the works have been completed, adding that they are now trying to finalise with plastering and painting.

He said that access roads, bridges, water channels, and electricity are also almost complete, and preparation for the compounds are ongoing, adding that each house is sited on one acre of land.

Teams of Officials from the communication department in office of the prime minister were in Bunambutye to Access the progress of the construction of the houses.

"The construction of the first phase of 101 units commenced on January 23 shortly after the prime minister had commissioned. As UPDF were tasked construct 75 units in the first phase while our sister force Police were given slot of 26 units," Candia said.

"The roofing, plastering, fixing of both doors and windows works are done, walling also has been completed and we are now finalizing with floor and we expect to hand over the units to government in three weeks after painting," Candia added.

He said that in three weeks the houses will be ready for occupation, adding that each family will get two bedroomed house and 3acres of land.

Julius Muchunguzi, from the office of the prime minister, senior Communication officer hailed UPDF, Police and prisons for going beyond defending the nation but did professional work and said that in the beginning Ugandans though government was joking.

"We are happy that the first phase of 101 units is done and we are going to ensure that the most affected are relocated. We are in touch with other ministries like education and health to set emergency facilities to provide social services to families that will be relocated," He said

 He said that next phase of 400 houses will be starting soon and that government is to construct 900 units that will see 6300 people from entire Affected Elgon region resettled, adding that the date for relocating families will be officially communicated.

"We can not relocate families without social services like schools, stable water supply, toilets, and health services. We going to work against the rains that are soon coming to see that the most at high-risk families are relocated," Muchunguzi said

He said that as the rains are soon coming back government has a plan of planting early warning systems in risk areas, adding government will also take over management of the remaining land in hills for afforest ration to maintain green cover.

Prime Minister Rugunda Ruhakana (Wednesday, January 2019) officially commissioned the construction of 900 units that would cost of sh32b.

The function was graced by all members of parliament from the affected districts, Minister for energy Irene Muloni, Disaster minister Hilary Onek and Musa Echweru and some of the landslide affected family members.

The government assigned Uganda Peoples Defense Force (UPDF), Police and Prison engineering brigade's deal of constructing of over 900 houses for Families that would be relocated from Bududa district landslide area to Bunambutye Sub County in Bulambuli district.

Rugunda in a side interview with the New Vision said that more money meant to facilitate the construction of the houses had been already acquired and allocated from government and its now on office of the prime minister's accounts.

 Rugunda appealed to Forces to complete the construction phase 101 units by the end of March and they have lived to stand their promise. He said that forces were trusted because they have the capacity to do good work and in the time frame given.

"In developed countries, it's the army given responsibilities to handle such cases of emergencies.  We are also examining possibilities of how some of the families can be relocated to government-owned land across the country," he said

Water quality surveillance, installation of excreta disposal targeting 20 people per stance in waterlogged areas, awareness-raising campaign, drilling of high yielding production boreholes, supply and installation of electromechanical equipment on drilled wells will be provided.

 Civil works installations covering piping, storage and consumer connections of plot 93 and intermediate medium intervention will focus on the construction of gravity flow scheme, extension of piped water supply to plot 93 part and 94, installation of safe excreta disposal targeting 20 people per stance will continue to plot 94 as planned.

According to master plan Plot, 94 with 270 acres of land will accommodate 250 houses; plot 157 with 918 acres of land will accommodate 650 houses while plot 198 with 1,688 acres will be used for mechanized agriculture.

The resettlement plan also provides key components of 900 two bedroomed permanent houses, nursery and primary schools, one health center three, health market, recreation center, trading center religious institution.

In the beginning, the project faced resistance from the part of politicians in the Elgon region and even some parliamentarian in Kampala.

Over 1000 families are supposed to be relocated from entire Mt Elgon landslide-prone areas to Bunambutye government land.


Bududa LC5 chairperson Wilson Watira hailed government for fulfilling its pledge, adding that institutions mandated to construct the houses should expedite the process so that all families can be relocated before rains strike again.

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