By: Ismael Kasooha

BULAMBULI

The Government of Uganda through the Office of the Prime Minister is to resettle 12,031 households from the 7 districts of the Elgon sub-region that are at risk of landslides.

Cabinet established an inter-ministerial committee that was tasked to expedite the process to resettling the Internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Mount Elgon sub-region.

The inter-ministerial committee is chaired by the Prime Minister of Uganda Rt. Hon. Nabbanja Robinah who delegated the Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development Hon. Judith Nabakooba to steer the work of the committee.

A technical field verification report of the land earmarked by the government for the MASDAR Solar project and resettlement of the IDPs located in Mount Elgon Sun region was tabled and discussed.

The Commissioner for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Management at the Office of the Prime Minister, Davis Mwenyi, said that offers of land had been received from the people in Low-land areas which are suitable for settlement and the government is in the process of buying the land to resettle the people to save them from landslides.

“Several pieces of land have been earmarked to resettle people who are prone to disasters, specifically landslides in the 7 districts of Elgon sub-region so that we don’t lose more lives as a result of landslides,” said Mwenyi.

The land has been earmarked in two Districts of Bulambuli and Kween in the low lands which are safe from any landslides and are habitable.

“Given the size and nature of the affected population, it is not feasible to resettle all the displaced households on a single piece of land and it is therefore recommended that sizeable parcels of land are acquired with different groups of people resettled across various locations to ensure adequate space, sustainability and proper service delivery,” said Mwenyi.

The pieces of land listed include Plot 100 block 4, Bulambuli (Amore land), plot 197, 184, and 196 block 4 Bulambuli.  The other piece of land is FRV MBA 236 FOLIO 2 PLOT 458 BLOCK 4 Bulugunya  village, however, this parcel 100% lies in a gazetted wetland and Ramsar site.

Commissioner for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Management, Mr. Davis Mwenyi at one of the pieces of land in Kween District

Ramsar sites are wetlands of international importance that are designated under the Ramsar Convention, also known as the Convention on Wetlands. These sites are recognized for their significant ecological value and are protected to ensure their wise use and conservation. The convention was established in 1971 in Ramsar, Iran, and aims to halt the worldwide loss of wetlands and conserve those that remain.

The other parcel is on plot 756, block 2 land at Cheptuya village, Kween district.

Alfred Chelimo, the LC III chairperson Girig welcomed the government’s plan of resettling people in the area.

“We welcome the government intervention in settling our brothers and sisters from disaster prone areas to our area. Girig is an area with many different tribes. The area is sparsely populated with just 8,000 people but a vast area so when the government brings these people it will help in developing our area,” said Chelimo.

The land owners are willing and ready to offer their land to the Government.

John Bosco Sebere, son to one of the land owners, said that his father decided to sell his land to the government to help develop the area by establishing social services such as water, roads, health facilities and schools.

Recently, the minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development Hon. Judith Nabakooba chaired an inter-ministerial committee that was tasked to expedite the process to resettling the Internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Mount Elgon sub-region.

The meeting took place at the Office of the Prime minister in Kampala.

During the meeting a technical field verification report of the land earmarked by the government for the MASDAR Solar project and resettlement of the IDPs located in Mount Elgon Sun region was tabled and discussed.

The meeting was attended by the minister for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees Eng. Hillary Onek who emphasized the urgent need to address the issue of IDPs.

It was resolved that the technical team goes on ground and starts work immediately to conclude on the issue of land purchase for resettling the landslide affected people.

End