By Weswa Ronnie
BULAMBULI
People who were recently resettled at Bunambutye government resettlement area in Bulambuli district Phase III are threatening to go back to their Bududa district because government has failed to allocate them plots to construct their houses.
Most of these are from landslide prone areas of Bumwalukani, Nabweya, Bunabutiti, Bushika town council, Bukalasi, and Busilibwa in Bududa district.
This was revealed during a visit by Masaba Cultural Institution led by Vincent Woboya, the Minister for disaster who had gone to access the situation on the ground on Thursday, 12th September, 2024.
The affected victims told the Masaba Cultural Institution officials that it is now three weeks since they were ferried to the Resettlement Area and put in tents but they have not been allocated plots to build on.
The Ministry of Disaster Preparedness and Prime Minister’s Office in August resettled over 236 households at Bunambutye government resettlement land.
Before taking them to Bunambutye, they were given 17 million shillings to be used in construction of new houses after government allocating each household a plot of land.
When they were ferried by government from their homes, they were put in tents and others at Bunambutye resettlement primary school building as government.
Joseph Wasilibwa, one of the disaster resettlement victims originating from Busilibo Sub County in Bududa district raised his concern over the delayed allocation of plots.
He says it’s now three weeks and they are still staying in tents and classrooms which is unhealthy to them and their children.
David Nangoti, another resettlement victim originating from Bushiyi Sub County in Bududa district says that government should take them back to their original places since it has failed to fulfill what it pledged them.
Nangoti says they are worried that they will have nowhere to sleep since schools are opening on Monday, next week because children are going to occupy the classrooms they are sleeping in currently.
They say if this week elapses when government has not allocated them plots, they are going back to their original homes in Bududa district.
Meanwhile, Woboya expressed dissatisfaction with the circumstances under which the victims are leaving in.
He says that as a Masaba Cultural Institution, they are going to take their voice to government or President Museveni and see how they can expedite the process of giving these victims plots to construct rather than continuing being in Red Cross tents and classrooms.
Charles Odongotho, heading communication at prime minister’s office when contacted on phone, called for calm among the victims saying they delay in plot allocation is because they are waiting for the Ministry of Works to open access roads at new resettlement area before surveyors can access it to allocate plots to all households.
He warns that if the victims go back to Bududa, they are again risking their lives yet government has saved them.
