Uganda Red Cross Provides Critical Support to Kamwokya Fire Victims

By Carol Nakibuule

Following the destructive fire on October 25, 2024, which left several homes in ruins in Kisenyi 2 Zone, Kamwokya, the Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS) has stepped in to provide essential support to affected families.

With backing from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), URCS distributed much-needed non-food relief items to 100 impacted households.

The relief event took place at the Kamwokya Community Development Center, with Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago and Sheila Birungi Gandi, KCCA’s Director of Gender and Community Services, representing KCCA Executive Director Frank Rusa Nyakaana.

URCS Communications Officer John Cliff Wamala, KCCA Councillors Olive Namazzi and John Mary Ssebuufu, and URCS Kampala East Branch Manager Prize Tayebwa were also present, along with URCS staff, volunteers, and local LC1 leaders.

Lord Mayor Lukwago expressed gratitude for URCS’s timely assistance. “URCS has consistently partnered with KCCA during crises.

Recently, they responded quickly when a garbage slide affected residents in Kiteezi, even setting up an IDP camp for those displaced.

I thank the URCS Secretary General for their ongoing support,” Lukwago said. He also pledged KCCA’s commitment to providing free medical care for the survivors and aiding in safe resettlement efforts to help prevent future incidents.

KCCA’s Director of Gender and Community Services, Sheila Birungi, praised URCS’s swift response and reaffirmed KCCA’s commitment to the community.

“Our focus is on emergency response, recovery, protection, and livelihood support. URCS has been an invaluable partner in these efforts, and I am grateful for their leadership,” she noted.

URCS Communications Officer John Cliff Wamala highlighted the intended use of each item in the relief packages, encouraging recipients to use them to support their recovery. “Our focus was on the most vulnerable.

The 100 beneficiaries were carefully chosen in collaboration with local leaders. Some have been sleeping on the floor at Kamwokya Research Club, so items like mats, blankets, and mosquito nets will help provide basic comfort,” he said.

Each household received a package containing essential items: two blankets, two mats, two tarpaulins, a kitchen set (including two saucepans, six plates, six cups, six spoons, six forks, and two serving spoons), two jerry cans, a solar lamp with phone-charging capabilities, three bars of soap, and two mosquito nets.

URCS also committed to providing ongoing psychosocial support for the community.

The fire in Kisenyi 2 Zone tragically claimed the life of 15-year-old Kiiza Melisa Catherine, a student at City Side School in Kyebando.

Since the incident, URCS has remained active on-site, delivering emergency medical services, search and rescue, body management, psychosocial support, coordination with partners, evacuation assistance, and a rapid assessment report to inform the relief distribution.