Rains leave heavy toll on Rubanda district's Katojo town council

 

Heavy rains that pounded Butare – Katojo Town Council in Rubanda District for eight hours have left a heavy toll on the areas as a number of homes were washed away while  crops and roads were destroyed, leaving families without shelter or food.

Tragically, three lives were lost in the chaos.

In the midst of chaos, over ten houses remain as eerie reminders of a powerful rainstorm, now reduced to piles of rubble and scattered debris.

The once lively gardens that provided food and income have been completely washed away, leaving families feeling hopeless and unsure. With no place to live and their main source of food destroyed, people are facing a frightening situation, not knowing what will happen next

Alex Ahimbisibwe and Letenciya Tubangire, residents of Bugarama Village in Butare – Katojo Town Council, are among the victims of last night's heavy downpour and mudslides that struck their houses and crops, destroying them.

These say that they are currently stranded and unsure of what to do next, having sought shelter in the neighborhood.

Additionally, they express concern about hunger, as their crops were also destroyed.

“While we were in the house, it started raining together  with strong winds which in return led to our kitchen falling off. We were forced to shift and currently we are renting in the town center. All our crops were washed away, we currently don’t have where to go."

Sophia Twinomwe, another victim of the heavy downpour, shares that their house, which was still under construction and sheltering their children, was destroyed.

She recounts that during the rains, when they became suspicious, they asked the children to move to the old house where they usually stay, adding that  immediately after relocating the children amidst the heavy downpour, a mudslide struck and destroyed the upper part of the house.

She also mentions that the running water destroyed their crop gardens, which were their main source of school fees for their children and food for both subsistence and commercial purposes.

“My house which was also still under construction that was sheltering my children, was also destroyed. After the volumes of rains increased, I was forced to fight in channeling the rain water to see on how I could save my children," Twinomwe asserts.

Angella Kamagaja reveals that the heavy rains destroyed her irish potato crop garden, from which she anticipated a harvest worth more than shs3 million.

Henry Mugisha and Vicent Kagoma, the LC 1 chairperson for Bugarama Village, state that the roads have become impassable due to the heavy rains, which has disrupted the transportation of goods to marketplaces and tourists to their destinations.

The locals are requesting for  government's  intervention to help them relocate and provide food supplies, as their property has been massively destroyed.

‘Over 10 house holds were washed away, most of the gardens were as well washed away. We call upon on government to quickly intervene and find solutions to see our people that got affected can be relocated.”

Stephen Kasyaba, Rubanda District LC5 Chairperson, acknowledged the significant losses suffered by the locals, including loss of lives.

He noted  that they are mobilizing emergency response efforts, working tirelessly to provide shelter, food, and support to the displaced families.

However, challenges persist as resources are strained to meet the overwhelming needs of the affected population.

“It’s so unfortunate that we lost our people and their properties due to heavy rains. As the district we are working so hard to see that we don’t loose more people."

Kasyaba, however, openly confronted  government for centralizing the emergency funds, emphasizing that this process often takes too long to appeal.

He says  that for years, Rubanda District has been requesting for these funds without success.

“Am not happy to find that the emergency funds are only stuck in the prime minister’s office because as Rubanda we have never been helped by the prime minister’s office. I wonder why they cannot have emergency fund sent directly to local governments.” Kasyaba asserts.

Kigezi Sub Region being prone to such natural disasters has left communities in urgent need of assistance and support.

With homes destroyed, crops lost, and livelihoods shattered, the affected residents are relying on prompt and effective intervention from the government.