By: Grace Kalenge
KAMPALA
The Rt. Hon. Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja will launch a resettlement programme for households at risk of landslides and floods in the Mt. Elgon sub-region on 27 March.
Mr. Alex Kakooza, Permanent Secretary (centre), Office of the Prime Minister during a press briefing on resettlement of landslide victims in the Elgon subregion
Addressing a press conference at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) on Monday, the OPM Permanent Secretary, Mr Alex Kakooza, said the exercise will begin with the relocation of 1,224 households currently living in a holding camp at Bunambutye in Bulambuli District. These families will be moved to Kiriki in Lower Kween District, where the government has acquired 1,318 acres of land.
“Temporary camps are no longer sustainable,” Kakooza said. “We are ready to have the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister launch the resettlement exercise.”
The 1,224 households were resettled to Bunambutye in 2024 from Buluganya in Sironko District and parts of Bududa District. The Government is finalising the purchase of 946 acres of land in Chepsikunya, also in Lower Kween District, to support the resettlement programme.
About 21,000 acres of land are required to resettle 9,417 households currently at risk of flash floods, mudslides, and landslides in the Mt. Elgon sub-region.
“Each household will be allocated two acres of land. However, unlike previous arrangements, we intend to relocate all households to one location,” Kakooza said.
This approach, the Commissioner for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Management, Mr Davis Mwenyi, said, will enable the Government to provide essential services such as schools, health facilities, water, and roads in a centralised area, while also freeing up land for productive activities such as agriculture.”
Assistant Commissioner for Disaster Management, Ms Rose Nakabugo, said the resettlement programme is part of government efforts to prevent further loss of life due to landslides and floods.
