Bundibugyo struggles to rise from the ruins of Ebola
WHEN David Bwambale, 14, fell ill in August last year, his high fever, excessive vomiting and red eyes attracted little attention from residents of Bundibugyo in western Uganda. In this part of the country, residents are resigned to disease, war and pre-mature death.
By Frederick Womakuyu
WHEN David Bwambale, 14, fell ill in August last year, his high fever, excessive vomiting and red eyes attracted little attention from residents of Bundibugyo in western Uganda. In this part of the country, residents are resigned to disease, war and pre-mature death.
When Bwambale died, his relatives washed his body and inherited his clothes. As a result, 16 of his 17 family members also fell sick and five of them died of this mysterious illness, which ravaged Bundibugyo, causing panic countrywide.
The deaths attracted global attention. Samples of blood from the patients were sent to the Centre for Disease Control in Atlanta, USA, where it was confirmed that the mysterious illness was Ebola, a haemorrhagic fever that kills victims within 21 days. It took local and international efforts to combat the virus that killed 37 of the 149 victims.
Now that the epidemic is over, there is much more to tell about Bundibugyo than Ebola. Many people will confess the nearest they have come to Bundibugyo is during the geography lessons about the Rwenzori and its native people the Batwa.
The road to Bundibugyo is very poor. There is only one bus that leaves for Kampala at 4:30am. Once you miss it, you have to use a pick-up.
On the way to Bundibugyo is Kichwamba Technical Institute, the site of a grisly massacre, where close to 50 students were burnt by the Allied Democratic Forces in June 1998.
As you leave Fort Portal, dust on the dusty road to Bundibugyo engulfs you. My guide, Peter Busingye, a secondary school teacher, says: “People have complained about this bad road for years, but nothing has been done. Sometimes we feel we are not part of Uganda. The leaders have forgotten us and only come here during elections to make empty promises.â€
The road is full of bumps and sharp corners.
Perhaps the interesting part of the journey starts when one enters the long, beautiful hills on that part of the road. If one is not brave enough, one may find problems continuing with the journey — Bundibugyo highway is set amidst Rwenzori Mountain, with a narrow road.
“You have to drive at 10km/hr. Beyond that, you risk slipping off the edge of the mountain. When you sense a vehicle ahead, you have to stop and wait,†Busingye adds.
Before completing the hills, I had counted 61 sharp corners and this brought us to Karuguta, a flat area with the famous rift valley. The people here are pastoralists and a few children attend school.
“During market days, children do not go to school. They sell goods by the roadside,†says Busingye pointing at the children.
Next to Karuguta is Kasitu, where the famous Batwa live.
However, I was surprised to find that they were not very short as I always thought.
“The short ones are the pygmies, but there are also some tall people among them,†Busingye says.
He explained that the Batwa face extinction.
“They were evicted from Sempaya Game Reserve. Since the eviction, their population has reduced from 100 to 60. The Adventist Development and Relief Agency and the European Commission compensated them by building houses and a school.â€
Among the factors for their extinction, Busingye says, the Batwa mainly depend on herbal medicine.
“Another reason is that they do not marry from other tribes yet their girls marry elsewhere,†he says.
Busingye says of the 60 Batwa in this area, none can read or write. “The Uganda Wildlife Authority wanted to recruit a tourist guide among them, but failed to get anyone who could read and write among them.â€
The next destination was Bundibugyo — a small and quiet town without big businesses, except for Stanbic Bank, housed in a small bungalow. The town lacks electricity and piped water.
“The few rich people in the area use generators, while the poor stick to candles and firewood,†says Bizimungu.
The Ministry of Education records rank Bundibugyo 62nd out of the 79 districts in Uganda in terms of performance.
Last year, Busingye says, nine students in the district passed in Division One out of the 481 students that sat for the Uganda Certificate of Education examinations.
“We need help. Teachers lack motivation and accommodation, while district officials lack seriousness.â€
In the health sector, the district has 12 health centres, with only one doctor.
“I think lack of doctors contributed to the easy spread of Ebola. At the time, we had only two doctors, but one succumbed to the disease,†says Busingye.
At Kikyo Health Centre IV that admitted the first Ebola victims, residents have slowly started returning to the centre that they had abandoned.
“Many people feared this place during the epidemic. They could not even come near its gate. Thank God, they have started returning. It was a real scare,†says Julius Monday, the head of Kikyo Health Centre.
Residents of Kikyo mainly depend on cocoa, a crop which takes nine months to mature.
“During the Ebola epidemic, the cocoa business came to a standstill because buyers feared travelling to Bundibugyo. Farmers kept their produce in stores,†says Paul Kizza, a resident of Kikyo.
“But now buying has resumed although at a slow pace.â€
Kizza says Kikyo area faces food insecurity.
My journey ended when I finally met an Ebola survivor, Evelyn Kyakinwa, 12.
Her story is extraordinary and she sums it by saying: “I cannot remember how I survived. But it was by God’s grace.â€
Bundibugyo, with a population of 200,000 people, still lags behind.
“We cannot construct roads, schools and health centres due to lack of funds. The local government hardly meets a third of the district budget. The district lacks a grader to repair roads. We need help from the Government,†says Harriet Katusiime, the assistant chief administrative officer.
Faced with all these problems, the people of Bundibugyo are still hopeful and believe their cries will be heard.
“During the 2006 campaigns, President Yoweri Museveni promised to construct for us a tarmac road. Two years down the road, this is yet to be seen, but we believe he will fulfill his pledge,†says Kizza.
WHEN David Bwambale, 14, fell ill in August last year, his high fever, excessive vomiting and red eyes attracted little attention from residents of Bundibugyo in western Uganda. In this part of the country, residents are resigned to disease, war and pre-mature death.
When Bwambale died, his relatives washed his body and inherited his clothes. As a result, 16 of his 17 family members also fell sick and five of them died of this mysterious illness, which ravaged Bundibugyo, causing panic countrywide.
The deaths attracted global attention. Samples of blood from the patients were sent to the Centre for Disease Control in Atlanta, USA, where it was confirmed that the mysterious illness was Ebola, a haemorrhagic fever that kills victims within 21 days. It took local and international efforts to combat the virus that killed 37 of the 149 victims.
Now that the epidemic is over, there is much more to tell about Bundibugyo than Ebola. Many people will confess the nearest they have come to Bundibugyo is during the geography lessons about the Rwenzori and its native people the Batwa.
The road to Bundibugyo is very poor. There is only one bus that leaves for Kampala at 4:30am. Once you miss it, you have to use a pick-up.
On the way to Bundibugyo is Kichwamba Technical Institute, the site of a grisly massacre, where close to 50 students were burnt by the Allied Democratic Forces in June 1998.
As you leave Fort Portal, dust on the dusty road to Bundibugyo engulfs you. My guide, Peter Busingye, a secondary school teacher, says: “People have complained about this bad road for years, but nothing has been done. Sometimes we feel we are not part of Uganda. The leaders have forgotten us and only come here during elections to make empty promises.â€
The road is full of bumps and sharp corners.
Perhaps the interesting part of the journey starts when one enters the long, beautiful hills on that part of the road. If one is not brave enough, one may find problems continuing with the journey — Bundibugyo highway is set amidst Rwenzori Mountain, with a narrow road.
“You have to drive at 10km/hr. Beyond that, you risk slipping off the edge of the mountain. When you sense a vehicle ahead, you have to stop and wait,†Busingye adds.
Before completing the hills, I had counted 61 sharp corners and this brought us to Karuguta, a flat area with the famous rift valley. The people here are pastoralists and a few children attend school.
“During market days, children do not go to school. They sell goods by the roadside,†says Busingye pointing at the children.
Next to Karuguta is Kasitu, where the famous Batwa live.
However, I was surprised to find that they were not very short as I always thought.
“The short ones are the pygmies, but there are also some tall people among them,†Busingye says.
He explained that the Batwa face extinction.
“They were evicted from Sempaya Game Reserve. Since the eviction, their population has reduced from 100 to 60. The Adventist Development and Relief Agency and the European Commission compensated them by building houses and a school.â€
Among the factors for their extinction, Busingye says, the Batwa mainly depend on herbal medicine.
“Another reason is that they do not marry from other tribes yet their girls marry elsewhere,†he says.
Busingye says of the 60 Batwa in this area, none can read or write. “The Uganda Wildlife Authority wanted to recruit a tourist guide among them, but failed to get anyone who could read and write among them.â€
The next destination was Bundibugyo — a small and quiet town without big businesses, except for Stanbic Bank, housed in a small bungalow. The town lacks electricity and piped water.
“The few rich people in the area use generators, while the poor stick to candles and firewood,†says Bizimungu.
The Ministry of Education records rank Bundibugyo 62nd out of the 79 districts in Uganda in terms of performance.
Last year, Busingye says, nine students in the district passed in Division One out of the 481 students that sat for the Uganda Certificate of Education examinations.
“We need help. Teachers lack motivation and accommodation, while district officials lack seriousness.â€
In the health sector, the district has 12 health centres, with only one doctor.
“I think lack of doctors contributed to the easy spread of Ebola. At the time, we had only two doctors, but one succumbed to the disease,†says Busingye.
At Kikyo Health Centre IV that admitted the first Ebola victims, residents have slowly started returning to the centre that they had abandoned.
“Many people feared this place during the epidemic. They could not even come near its gate. Thank God, they have started returning. It was a real scare,†says Julius Monday, the head of Kikyo Health Centre.
Residents of Kikyo mainly depend on cocoa, a crop which takes nine months to mature.
“During the Ebola epidemic, the cocoa business came to a standstill because buyers feared travelling to Bundibugyo. Farmers kept their produce in stores,†says Paul Kizza, a resident of Kikyo.
“But now buying has resumed although at a slow pace.â€
Kizza says Kikyo area faces food insecurity.
My journey ended when I finally met an Ebola survivor, Evelyn Kyakinwa, 12.
Her story is extraordinary and she sums it by saying: “I cannot remember how I survived. But it was by God’s grace.â€
Bundibugyo, with a population of 200,000 people, still lags behind.
“We cannot construct roads, schools and health centres due to lack of funds. The local government hardly meets a third of the district budget. The district lacks a grader to repair roads. We need help from the Government,†says Harriet Katusiime, the assistant chief administrative officer.
Faced with all these problems, the people of Bundibugyo are still hopeful and believe their cries will be heard.
“During the 2006 campaigns, President Yoweri Museveni promised to construct for us a tarmac road. Two years down the road, this is yet to be seen, but we believe he will fulfill his pledge,†says Kizza.