The Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) and the Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS) have identified districts at risk of El Niño-related heavy rains, flash floods and landslides as the country prepares for possible weather-related emergencies.
Uganda is experiencing an El Niño-associated rainy season that gained momentum in October and is expected to continue through December 2026 and into early 2027.
URCS spokesperson Irene Nakasiita said the organisation had pre-positioned supplies to support emergency responses, depending on the location and severity of disasters.
‘We deliver non-food items, but the coordination is done by the Office of the Prime Minister. We are working closely with the disaster management committees formed to support districts at risk, including those likely to experience above-normal rainfall,’ she said.
Nakasiita said the society had mapped vulnerable areas across several regions and was working through its district branches to monitor emerging threats, assess needs and coordinate responses.
The areas identified include the Mount Elgon sub-region, covering Bududa, Bulambuli, Manafwa, Sironko, Mbale, Butaleja, Tororo, Kapchorwa, Bukwo and Kween.
In the Rwenzori sub-region and western Uganda, the districts include Kasese, Bundibugyo, Ntoroko, Kabarole, Kisoro, Kabale, Rukungiri, Kanungu and Ntungamo.
In central Uganda and the Lake Victoria basin, the areas include Kampala, Wakiso, Mpigi, Mubende, Mityana, Kiboga and Kayunga.
The eastern and Kyoga sub-regions include Soroti, Kumi, Bukedea, Amuria, Kaberamaido, Pallisa, Butebo, Budaka, Kibuku, Kalaki and Serere.
In northern Uganda and Karamoja, the districts identified include Amolatar, Lira, Oyam, Dokolo, Pader, Kitgum, Kaabong, Kotido, Moroto and Nakapiripirit.
Nakasiita said Red Cross branches across the country continued to receive alerts and were conducting assessments while preparing to respond to emergencies.
Kalangala seeks alternative disaster response
Kalangala District chairperson Agnes Lunkuse said the district had intensified community sensitisation on disaster preparedness after experiencing delays in receiving assistance from the OPM during previous emergencies.
‘We had the cyclone, and about three or four weeks ago, we also had another occurrence in Bubeke Sub-county, and then Kyamuswa Sub-county as well. We always consider the Office of the Prime Minister the second option when it comes to disasters on water and, actually, in Kalangala District, because the many times we have submitted requests for disaster relief food and other items, their response has always been delayed,’ she said.
Lunkuse said the district was increasingly engaging local stakeholders, community-based organisations, religious institutions, investors and other partners to help respond to disasters.
In May, a cyclone struck Kalangala District, affecting almost the entire Kalangala Town Council and killing four people, including two police officers and two other residents. The storm also destroyed homes and stores around Kalangala Market, causing estimated losses of Shs800 million.
A second incident occurred in July in Bubeke Sub-county, where property worth an estimated Shs250 million was destroyed, according to the district chairperson.
Lunkuse criticised the relief assistance delivered by the OPM, saying it included beans and, later, iron sheets that recipients were warned against using for roofing.
‘Properties destroyed, if you are to consider the rate of the destruction caused by the cyclone in wind, it can be a billion and a half. And when you look at the label on it, it was not for roofing. Some people were like, if it’s not for roofing, what are we going to do with the iron sheets? Constructing what? At the end of the day, as a leader, you just have to look for some other ways,’ she said.
Ntoroko prepares to evacuate vulnerable residents
In Ntoroko District, chairperson Etyen Muhumuza said authorities had begun registering people considered most vulnerable to flooding and identifying evacuation sites.
‘With the help of the World Food Programme, we are ready to give them some relief items, and we have also identified a place in case floods strike where we can evacuate them,’ he said.
Muhumuza said 9,000 internally displaced people had been recorded in Kanara and Butungama sub-counties alone, excluding Rwebisengo, Bweramule Sub-county, Rwebisengo Town Council and Karugutu.
He said more than 6,000 additional people had been registered in four other sub-counties also affected by recurring floods, bringing the total number of internally displaced people to more than 15,000.
According to the September-to-December seasonal rainfall outlook released by the Department of Meteorological Services under the Ministry of Water and Environment, most parts of Uganda are experiencing near-normal to above-normal rainfall, accompanied by warmer-than-average temperatures.
The developing El Niño episode is influencing weather patterns, increasing the risk of heavy rainfall and related hazards in vulnerable areas.