Landslide victims decry delayed relocation compensation

In 2022, GiveDirectly, working with the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), launched an $8.5 million disaster preparedness project. The project sought to provide unconditional cash transfers of 7 million shillings to 4,000 households living in high-risk areas of the Elgon region.

Ivan Ntwali, GiveDirectly’s Country Director, said this initiative was geared towards helping families acquire safer land, construct homes, and support their livelihoods in new areas.

He said his team met President Museveni and his cabinet when the initiative was launched. The president, he said, directed the government to provide each household with an additional 10 million shillings to further assist their relocation efforts.

Hosea Kigayi Kimono, the Manafwa District Chairperson, says however, that there has been a delay in disbursing these monies and this delay is compounding the dire straits the residents in the Elgon region find themselves in.

“If they have managed to change lives with the 7 million shillings, imagine the impact if they had received 17 million while the project was still active,” he said.

“This could have created a lasting effect for these households. With the 7 million, families have been able to buy land, calves, and more. If they had received the government funds as an additional boost, they could have afforded even larger plots of land and more livestock. You see what I mean?” he explained.

Raphael Magyezi, the Minister of Local Government, said that the government is still on track and shall provide the additional funds. However, Magyezi expressed concerns over the red tape which ties up government operations resulting in delays in helping vulnerable people