Bodi Xiu, the Park Administrator, told the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Mathias Mpuuga who visited the park on Thursday that following the floods, they decided to halt all the operations and carry out maintenance works. He said that they are yet to decide when operations will resume.
The affected persons include the 150 households whose homesteads were washed away by floods during the heavy rains that hit the area over the weekend when River Nabuyonga, Namatala, and Nashibiso burst their banks. More than 20 lives were lost in the tragedy.
Dr. John Baptist Woniaye Nambohe, the Commissioner in charge of Emergency Services in the Ministry of Health, says that they are still compiling information about the disaster.
Ahamada Washaki, the Mbale City Resident commissioner says the President has directed that each of the family will be given 5 million to each body that has been retrieved.
He said the Prime Minister Robina Nabanjja asked him to inform the public that the government will give the money to help in the burial arrangements.
Elgon Police Region Spokesperson, Rogers Taitika, says that efforts to identify the flood victims are still ongoing as people flock to Mbale City morgue to view the bodies. He says that 8 out of the 20 bodies have been reclaimed by the relatives for burial.
Police and residents have teamed up to retrieve the super custom from the river. The efforts have taken longer due to the lack of equipment. Currently, the police and residents are using ropes to pull the vehicle from the river.
Others include a university student Jane Nekesa, Doreen Tamumza, Babra Kalayi and Rukia Kalayi members of the same family and Yadi Farouk all residents of Northern Division in Mbale City.
The Mayor Northern City Division George Mwanika said that all his Division has been affected. He called upon the concerned authorities to intervene to save the situation noting that there is now looming hunger in the area since people’s gardens have been washed away.
Rodha Nyaribi, the Mbale City Environment Officer, says that the composite site would recycle at least 30 tonnes of garbage every day and they would earn over Shillings 3 million as local revenue per month after selling manure produced from the composite garbage.
The Bubiita Sub County LC5 councilor Melo Patrick says the crack has covered a distance of 1.5 km and 55 homes have been deserted by owners. He said occupants of the homes just removed iron sheets from their homes and movable belongings and went to make temporally structures in the neighboring areas.
The uncollected garbage or litter is common on the streets, in the corridors of buildings, and clogs drainages whenever it rains hence causing unprecedented floods.
Residents living along these rivers note that over the years, there has been an unprecedented increase in pollution which puts their lives at risk of contracting diseases. According to residents, unknown people use the cover of darkness to dump waste in the river.
The gliding stones that were as a result of a mini landslide that hit the area, affected four villages of Bunalutere, Kikobero, Wambewo trading centre and Bubyengu upper in Bubyangu parish in Mbale affecting more than 700 People.
Traffic on the road has been diverted as Motorists from Mbale-Muyembe to Nakapiripirit are advised to use Mbale-Soroti-Katakwi-Nakapiripirit road while those from Nakapiripirit to Mbale/Muyembe are advised to pass via Katakwi-Soroti-Mbale-Muyembe road.
Stephen Were, the Busaba Sub County Agriculture Officer says over 100 acres of rice and crop gardens were destroyed by the floods, adding that the farmers who planted maize, water melon and cassava have also been affected.
