Hundreds of residents, including those from Kasika Village in Rukoki Sub-county, Busongora County South, Kasese District, who were displaced in 2022 after a deadly mudslide claimed 16 lives, have now returned to the same disaster-prone areas. Three years later, many say they have been driven back by unbearable living conditions in temporary camps and the government’s failure to resettle them as promised.
Among those returning are people who have lived in Muhokya Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp since May 2020, after major rivers, including Nyamwamba, Mubuku, Lhubiriha, Sebwe, and Nyamugasani, burst their banks, destroying homes and property. The affected families accuse the government of neglect and delays in implementing the resettlement plan. After years of waiting in harsh, overcrowded camps without proper shelter, food, or healthcare, they say they could no longer endure the misery and decided to return to their ancestral land, even at the risk of their lives.
‘They promised us Shs17 million each and told us to vacate the place. We have waited in vain for years. Life in the camp was unbearable – no food, no clean water, and no hope. We have children to feed and responsibilities to fulfil. We would rather die on our land than starve in the camp,’ said Mr Selly Mukimbwa, a victim from Kasika. Mr Mukimbwa explained that after years of living under deplorable conditions in makeshift shelters that leak when it rains and without access to basic services, he and others decided to go back to their former homes.
Ms Yeresi Mbindule, a mother of eight, said life in the camp had become intolerable. ‘We had no peace in the camp. Our children were falling sick, and we were sleeping on the bare floor. When the recent rains came, our crops were washed away again here, reminding us that danger still looms. But we had nowhere else to go,’ she said. Mr Jockus Baluku echoed similar fears, describing their situation as ‘living on a ticking time bomb.’ ‘Our lives are at great risk, but the suffering in the camp pushed us back here. The rocks on the hill could roll down any time, yet we have no choice. We have seen lines of weakness on the slopes – it’s terrifying, but at least here, we have dignity,’ he said.
Former Rukoki Sub-county chairperson Yohana Muhindo Kidweke urged the government to act urgently before another disaster strikes. ‘More than 100 households are sitting on the edge of tragedy. If the rains intensify, we could face a calamity even worse than that of 2022. These people didn’t return because they feel safe – they returned because life in the camps became unbearable,’ he said. Mr Deo Kule Isemamba, the Local Council One chairperson for Kanyangeya Cell in Nyamwamba Division, confirmed that several residents have reoccupied their former land despite the danger.
‘Their return is not out of ignorance but desperation. The conditions in the camp are inhumane – food is scarce, sanitation is poor, and diseases are common. The government must act quickly to resettle these people in safer areas,’ he said. Mr Julius Monday, a resident of Kanyangeya, said life in the camp had become a greater threat to their health and wellbeing than the danger of floods, since they had no land to grow food. ‘Our lives were at more risk in the camp. The conditions were unbearable – we lived for years in makeshift shelters without proper roofs or bedding. The heat, the cold, the mosquitoes – everything was against us. Even our health was deteriorating,’ he said.
He added: ‘The land government promised us feels like an empty promise. I couldn’t sustain that life any longer, so I returned to my home in Kanyangeya, even if it’s dangerous.’ The Kasese District Disaster Focal Person, Mr Joseph Singoma, acknowledged the gravity of the situation, noting that the district has lost at least 62 lives since 2013 to floods and landslides, alongside the destruction of infrastructure worth billions of shillings. ‘Any alarm of disaster is a matter of great concern to us. As the government continues to seek resources for resettlement, we urge all affected people to prioritise their safety.
Those areas remain high-risk red zones,’ he warned. Despite the dangers, some residents whose land was completely destroyed by previous floods continue to live in Muhokya Camp, still holding onto hope that the government will one day fulfil its promise of permanent resettlement. Among them is Ms Kabugho, a 17-year-old teenage mother who has lived in the camp since she was 13. ‘When I came to the camp, I was in Primary Six. I thought we would stay for a few months and then go back home, but it has been four years. I never went back to school. Life here is hard. Sometimes I wonder if this is where I will raise my child forever,’ she said.
BACKGROUND
The district’s location at the foot of the Rwenzori Mountains makes it vulnerable to torrential rains and overflowing rivers. In May 2020, floods swept through the area after major rivers – including Nyamwamba, Mubuku, Sebwe, Lhubiriha, and Nyamugasani – burst their banks, washing away homes, bridges, and schools.
More than 1,000 people were displaced and settled in the Muhokya IDP camp. The situation worsened in September 2022 when a mudslide hit Kasika Village in Rukoki Sub-county, killing at least 16 people and burying homes, gardens, and livestock.