The Minister of Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, Mr Hillary Onek, has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to relocating families displaced by the recent landslides in Sebei Sub-region to safer areas.
Local leaders had previously raised concerns that some families affected by past landslides were identified for relocation three years ago by the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), yet they remained in harm’s way.
‘We will relocate them to settle in safer areas, but the challenge we face is that the people of Mt Elgon don’t want to be relocated outside their region. If they are taken elsewhere, they often return to the landslide-prone areas,’ Mr Onek told Daily Monitor during a phone interview yesterday.
Last week, heavy rains triggered multiple landslides in Kween, Bukwo, and Kapchorwa districts, leaving 21 people dead, including a child whose body was recovered from the rubble on Tuesday, and more than 12 others reported missing.
The Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF), supported by police and local volunteers, is retrieving bodies in Kwanwa Village, Kapteka Parish, Chesower Sub-county, Bukwo District.
Mr Onek revealed that the government is in the process of acquiring 2,000 acres of land in Bulambuli and Kween districts to resettle landslide survivors.
‘We are in the process to procure about 2,000 acres of land, but even that is not enough to accommodate the current numbers. We need more land,’ he said.
The State Minister for Disaster Preparedness, Ms Lillian Aber, urged residents still living in disaster-prone hilly areas to vacate immediately: ‘Those who resist will be forcibly relocated by the army and police to prevent further deaths,’ she warned.
Local MPs have also voiced concerns. Mr Solomon Chelangat, the MP for Too County in Bukwo District, said communities are struggling to cope with the constant threat of landslides. ‘We need urgent intervention, not just pronouncements,’ he said.
In 2024, the government launched a cash transfer strategy aimed at accelerating relocation for households in landslide-prone areas.
According to Mr Fredmark Chesang, the police spokesperson for the Sipi Sub-region, plans are underway to move survivors from the resettlement camp in Muyok Sub-county to Benet Primary School in Kween District, as the land in Muyok belongs to the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA).
‘The OPM and district officials have plans to relocate the survivors to Benet Primary School,’ Mr Chesang said.
Background
Following the 201Fred Wambede0 landslides in Bududa District, survivors were relocated to government land in Kiryandongo District but most returned, citing unfavourable living conditions.
In 2019, the government procured land in Bugisu Sub-region, Bulambuli District, and has since resettled nearly 300 families, totalling about 5,000 people.