SIRONKO: Landslide Blocks Major Road Paralyzing PLE Exams in 5 Sub Counties

By Weswa Ronnie

SIRONKO

A landslide has deposited heavy rocks on Nalugugu-Elgon Road blocking it and thereby making many hard to reach areas inaccessible by vehicles.

Consequently, today’s PLE Examinations in hard to reach areas started late after the vehicle carrying examination materials, Invigilators and Supervisors got stuck.

The landslide happened last night, 5^th November, 2024 following a heavy downpour which pounded the area for over two hours.

Landslides stretched from Elgon National Park to Butandingi Sub County cutting off the road and destroying crops like maize, coffee, and bananas. No houses and deaths were reported.

This Land slide carried heavy rocks from the Elgon National Park onto the Nalugugu-Elgon road blocking it.

Nalugugu-Elgon is the only road which connects hard to reach sub counties like Masaba, Butandinga, Butandiga town council, Elgon, Bukyabo among others to lower areas in Sironko.

According to Ezekiel Nabubolo, the LCIII chairperson of Butandiga Sub County, the district vehicle which was transporting examination papers, supervisors and invigilators to various Centers like Siigwa primary school located at Butandiga sub county, Mbaya primary school located at Butandiga sub county, Butandiga primary school located at Butandiga town council, and Bunagami primary school in Bukyabo failed to cross due to blockage of the only road leading to those schools.

He says that locals tried to use hand hoes to open the road but failed due to big rocks which needed a tractor.

They decided to help UNEB leaders carry examination papers on their heads being escorted by police officers up to affected schools to enable their children sit exams.

Nabubolo adds that examinations at the affected schools started at 11 am due to the delay of taking the exam materials, invigilators and supervisors to the affected schools.

He urged Sironko district authorities to go and open the road with a grader so that movement can be normalized because even people from the affected sub counties can’t access lower areas now.

Nelson Kirenda, the Sironko Chief Administrative Officer has confirmed the incident but says pupils are doing their exams even if they reached late adding that apart from hard to reach sub counties, exams started on time for other remaining areas.