Delayed land demarcation leaves Bududa landslide victims helpless

The resettled families remain confined to a relocation camp, waiting for the land to be demarcated and allocated, a delay that has left them uncertain and idle, relying solely on meals provided by the OPM.

BUDUDA | Landslide victims from Bududa District have expressed frustrations with the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) for failing to allocate land upon their arrival in Bunambutye, as initially promised.

The resettled families remain confined to a relocation camp, waiting for the land to be demarcated and allocated, a delay that has left them uncertain and idle, relying solely on meals provided by the OPM.

The victims blame the delays on a deviation from the original resettlement plan, which called for land to be allocated before families were relocated, allowing them to build homes in advance.

The situation has worsened due to a significant delay between the families receiving a cash transfer of Shs17 million and the start of the relocation process.

Many victims now report they have exhausted the funds.

“We wish you had allocated land as soon as you gave us the money because some of us ended up spending it on family needs. Also, the place is far from the school and health facility,” said one resettled woman.

The land, which was supposed to be distributed for housing, has not yet been marked for allocation. Additionally, the resettlers have raised concerns over the waterlogged nature of the designated land.

They have appealed to authorities to swap this land with the area initially set aside as gardens for the first phase of resettlers.

This change would improve access to social services and reduce the distance between them and their relatives who were resettled earlier.

Mr Dunstan Balaba, permanent secretary in the OPM, stated that Shs140 million has been released to the Bulambuli District Local Government to open roads before the land can be demarcated and allocated to the 242 families for house construction.

On the request to swap the land, Balaba said he would present the issue to the Cabinet for review.

“This is just a reception center. The resettlers will move to their land as soon as roads are opened and plots are demarcated,” Balaba assured, pledging the government's commitment to providing meals at the camp until families are given land.

The government is also in the process of acquiring over 10,000 acres of land to resettle the remaining 5,000 households across the Elgon region.

Meanwhile, cash transfers continue to be disbursed to more households ahead of the final land purchase.

However, beneficiaries argue that receiving money before land allocation undermines the efficiency of the resettlement efforts.

The ongoing resettlement operation in Bududa District targets relocating 242 households from 12 sub-counties, a small portion of the over 5,000 households at risk of landslides across the Bugisu and Sebei subregions.

Despite the government releasing over Shs10 billion in 2022 for resettlement, progress has been slow, with only Shs2.5 billion spent to date.