More than 300 people have been left homeless after strong winds
destroyed houses and several hectares of gardens in Lwampanga Sub County in Nakasongola
District.
The strong winds hit the area on occurred on Tuesday night at around 11 pm
before the rains affecting the villages of Munami, Mayinja and Gendera villages
among others located along the shoreline of Lake Kyoga.
Hassan Kajura the LCI Chairman of Munami village says strong winds blew off
rooftops while other houses collapsed leaving occupants homeless.
Kajura adds that a community hall which has been hosting about 20 people was
also destroyed but the occupants survived unhurt. He adds that currently some
of the affected residents have relocated to Munami Primary School for shelter
whereas others are gathering iron sheets to reconstruct their houses.
// Cue in: “ zabadde …
Cue out;…akakiisa ako”//
Fazillah Mugoya an affected resident says that her four children narrowly
survived death in the house after the strong winds destroyed it at night.
Mugoya now doesn’t want the night to fall because they have nowhere to sleep.
Agnes Akullo another affected resident says that earlier on rising waters at
Lake
Kyoga destroyed their house and they relocated to Community hall for shelter.
Akullo adds that now the strong winds have also destroyed it living them with
nowhere to go.
Mugoya and Akullo (Luganda Byte)
// Cue in: “ N’obuti bwasoose…
Cue out;…ow’okubeera”//
Other residents said the crop gardens were also destroyed plunging them into
hunger.
Sam Kigula the LCV Chairperson Nakasongola says that the affected people were
supposed to be relocated from shorelines of Lake Kyoga over rising waters that
displaced them before.
He, however, faulted the Ministry of Local Government and Office of Prime
Minister for being slow to extend services at Kyarubanga Forest Reserve where
the district allocated 500 acres to resettle the people there.
Kigula says that the affected people wouldn’t have been affected by strong
winds if they moved to a secure place and they reconstructed permanent
structures there.
He appealed to the Office of Prime Minister to speed up the process of
relocating the affected persons before they register deaths in another tragedy.
// Cue in: “Prime Minister…
Cue out;…are down”//
Luganda Byte
Cue in: “Abatambudde empola…
Cue out;…bagenda kusula”//
The affected residents have been hit by the misfortunes for the third time. They
were brutally evicted from Kasenyi landing site over a land dispute with
Nakasongola Army Barracks before they relocated to Munami village.
Early this year while at Munami landing site, they were displaced after rising
water from Lake Kyoga destroyed their homes.
They reconstructed the semi-permanent houses at highlands but now
the strong winds have again destroyed them living them crying foul.
