The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | 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 Tuesday night at around 11 pm before the rains affecting the villages of Munami, Mayinja and Gendera 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.
Fazillah Mugoya, one of the affected residents 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 the Community hall for shelter.
Akullo adds that now the strong winds have also destroyed it living them with nowhere to go.
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 people.
Kigula says that the affected people wouldn’t have been affected by strong winds if they moved to a secure place and constructed 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.
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.
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