Kasese residents asked to vacate major drainage channels

Kasese, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Kasese district is considering a significant overhaul of its drainage system to address recurring flooding disasters. This initiative will involve clearing numerous homes built along major drainage channels.

Over the weekend, floods swept through the town, resulting in the deaths of two people and causing extensive damage to infrastructure, including roads. The district’s disaster management team, led by Mustafa Kikusa, is urging residents with properties located in drainage channels to vacate.

Kikusa emphasized that there will be no compensation for those affected by the development and is seeking political support from local leaders. Kasese Municipal Mayor Chance Kahindo expressed disappointment that many people had deliberately constructed buildings along known water channels.

He has instructed his council and the technical team, led by the municipal planner, to educate the community about the dangers of encroaching on flood-prone areas. The Minister for ICT and National Guidance, Godfrey Kabyanga, who toured some of the damaged infrastructure, urged local communities with structures near drainage channels to relocate.

He stated that he would follow up with the Office of the Prime Minister to seek interventions to assist those affected.

However, some residents are criticizing the government for failing to find a permanent solution to the flooding of major rivers in the district. Fulo Kamugisha argues that if the government had fully undertaken the desilting of River Nyamwamba, it would not have burst its banks.

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