UGANDA, Kasese | Real Muloodi News | Heavy rain has triggered landslides and floods in Kasese District, claiming the lives of at least five people and destroying 26 houses over the course of one week.
Various rivers and landslide-affected areas in several sub-counties have been affected, leading to crop and banana plantation destruction. Additionally, roads and bridges were damaged, and cattle were killed in the floods.
The Muhokya, Mubuku, Sebwe, and Nyamwamba rivers were among the flooded rivers, with the latest incidents occurring in Kaghema and Butera villages in Buhuhira Sub-county on Sunday and Monday. A four-year-old girl lost her life in Butera Village due to landslides, with three other people sustaining minor injuries.
The landslides occurred after heavy rain that started on Sunday evening and lasted until Monday morning.
Kasese District leaders revealed that two residents, Mr. Benon Kisembo, 20, and Mr. Alfred Mbonimb, 41, died last week while attempting to cross the flooded rivers of Kabaka and Mubuku in Karusandara Sub-county. Kisembo died on April 22, while Mbonimba died last Friday.
Bodies Retrieved
On April 24, the residents of Muhokya retrieved the body of Robert Masereka from the River Muhokya. The deceased was a resident of Kyamiza Village, Muhokya Sub-county.
The body of Anthony Bwambale, 11, was also retrieved from a valley on Sunday afternoon in Katerera Village, Kitabbu Sub-county, where he had gone to collect firewood. Bwambale was from Nyamambuka Cell in Mpondwe lhubiriha Town Council and stayed with his mother, Ms. Jazila Kighoma, in Kaghema Village in Kyalhumba Sub-county.
Last Saturday’s heavy downpour washed away gardens and destroyed homes in the villages of Kibirigha 1 and Kibirigha 2 in Kyarumba Sub-county. Some of the residents whose homes were destroyed took refuge at Kibirigha Catholic Church.
“Forty households have camped at Kibirigha Roman Catholic Church while 200 households are at risk,” said Uganda Red Cross Society spokesperson Irene Nakasiita on Tuesday morning, adding, “26 households were destroyed completely.”
The affected residents urgently need relief items, according to Mr. Mughuruka Baluku Jackson, the Kyalhumba Sub-county Chairperson.
“The rain had a heavy storm and people feared that their houses would collapse because they are semi-permanent and that is why they had to take refuge at the local Catholic Church of Kibirigha while others went to Holy Trinity Catholic Church. They now fear for their lives,” he said.
Nakasiita also highlighted gaps in shelter, protection, and wash needs faced by the displaced families. For instance, both males and females are forced to share the one latrine a the Kibirigha Catholic Church where they are sheltering.
Additionally, the makeshift bridge erected by the Srilank Company on River Nyamwamba connecting two villages of Kyanjuki and Katiri was broken, and the bridge that connects to Masule Primary School on River Nyamwamba was also swept away due to the downpour that occurred on the 23rd of April.
Kasese District Chairperson Eliphazi Muhindi, while visiting Butera Village yesterday, urged locals to relocate from disaster-prone areas to safer places.
Mr. Neckson Bangahi, the head teacher of Kyalhumba Primary School in Kyalhumba Town Council, asked parents to monitor their children’s movements during the rainy season.
“We are breaking off for the first term officially on May 5, and in the period of one month, parents should ensure that they know where their children have gone to play from, because we are in a rainy season,” Mr Bangahi said.
Other Affected Areas
Heavy rains have also caused flooding and landslides in other parts of Uganda over the last 10 days, including Mbale, Bundibugyo and Rukungiri districts.
On May 3, in the Western Uganda Region’s Kisoro District, the Uganda Red Cross Society reported that landslides triggered by heavy rain had resulted in the deaths of at least six individuals. Among them were five members of the same family in Biizi village, Murora Sub-County, who perished when a landslide hit their home. In another incident in Murora Sub-County’s Gihuyaga village, an additional individual lost their life. One person was injured and transported to the hospital.
On May 1, 2023, the Uganda Red Cross reported that one person died and two were injured after a landslide in Bughendero in Buhurira Sub-County in Kasese District. A home was severely damaged or destroyed, and seven family members were displaced.
In Rukungiri District, three people died after flooding from the Rushaya River in Bwambara Sub-county on April 29.
In Mbale District, one person died, and several homes were damaged after floods in Bushikori Parish on April 26, 2023.
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