My friend Henry had this to say on the situation on his facebook page:
“I was in Bududa; the guys there are inconsolable after losing almost all relatives and their livelihood. Isaac Watyekele lost his father, mother and siblings!”
Isaac is the man he was interviewing in the picture. It’s simply tragic. The place is far from the capital and officials are saying some bodies will never be found as the army and aid workers only have their hands and ordinary hoes to plough the rocky Mount Elgon region.
Again I hope we will have more reports in the media focuing on how or what the government efforts should be after this catastrophy.
I have seen reports that some people are willing to migrate but one could say they are not in a good state to determine their future but we need to see a government plan.
President Museveni visited the area but only said the situation was due to the cutting of trees on the slopes of the mountain without saying that longterm solutions would be besides tree planting.
What has many wondering is why would a president visit a disaster hit area wearing an AK47 around his neck? Not even can these arms protect us from such catastrophies. so will such a day come to Uganda when this governments will shift it’s thinking from the show of arms to try to resolve problems of the common people?
Note that Museveni retired from the army and claims to only be a commander-in-chief of the forces but such appearances only reinforce the reality that many Ugandans know and are worried about. What the people of Bududa want is not a president in military fatigue as if the villages have been attacked by rebels, but a comprehensive solution to these landslides that affect the area every rainy season.
Meanwhile according to Daily monitor more than 30,000 people in Butaleja have been displaced by floods as the rain continues to pour. Government has issued alerts for Kabarole and Kasese, both in western Uganda where bridges have so far been washed way. I only hope that these floods don’t cause anymore deaths but this calls for proper preparation of the populations in the high risk areas.
Rosebell Kagumire 