Landslide victims ready to relocate

By Paul Watala

Bududa district council has approved 13 more urban centres to be upgraded to town boards and developed for resettlement of displaced people and those living in areas that are at high risk of experiencing landslides.

The district secretary for community services, Kezia Wahata, revealed this while receiving items meant for the recent Balucheke landslide survivors recently. The items were donated by Christian Fellowship Ministries.

“The cabinet sub-committee on disaster-led by the third Deputy Prime Minister Gen. Moses Ali during a visit to Bududa in July, identified and recommended that several urban centres be upgraded to town boards for the resettlement of people displaced by landslides,” Wahata said.

She said on September 7, the district approved 13 centres to be elevated to town board status. They include Namaitsu, Malandu, Busanza, Footo, Matenje, Bukari, Matiri, Namataile, Kuushu B, Nalwanza, Buswalikha, Randa and Bubungi.

Wahata said the residents had initially attempted to resist relocation because some selfish leaders went round telling them that the Government wanted to grab their land.

“We have sensitised our people and are willing to be relocated, but we are still waiting for what will come from the Office of the Prime Minister,” Wahata said.

The state minister for disaster preparedness, Musa Ecweru, said the Ministry of Finance had given the go-ahead for the relocation of the affected families in the Bugisu sub-region.

“We have taken long to relocate people due to lack of logistics and we could not move people into camps without food, medication and water. We have now been given the green light and the process is going on smoothly,” Ecweru said.

He warned those still sneaking up the risky hills to stop doing so and appealed to the local leaders to take action against such people.

Wahata said almost half of the population in Bududa was at a risk of being killed by landslides.