Under the new resolution, all petrol dealers must assemble in designated locations to sell fuel to fishermen.
Destroyed properties at Lyabaana island
Following repeated accidental fires on the islands of Buvuma, authorities have resolved to relocate fuel vending businesses from residences to designated isolated areas to minimize the risk of fires caused by fuel stored in residential areas.
The resolution was reached over the weekend after a recent fire gutted residential and business premises on Lyabaana Island, destroying several properties. In the recent past, fires have destroyed residential camps in Bweema, Luwero, and Lubya. Now, Lyabaana has suffered a similar fate.
The current practice has been that “every petrol dealer has been keeping his goods in his house where they naturally cook and reside, and incidences of fire outbreaks have as a result been very common.” Under the new resolution, all petrol dealers must assemble in designated locations to sell fuel to fishermen.
Fishermen will then be required to return and surrender equipment, such as boat engines and unused fuel, to securely guarded facilities until the following day. Bashir Ssenfuma, Chairperson of Lyabaana Island Sub-County, said the resolution will significantly reduce fire risks in the community. According to Ssenfuma, while the exact cause of the latest fire is still under investigation, in three previous cases, “fire at Lyabaana has been emanating from a charcoal stove placed near the fuel and with the help of winds, the fire quickly engulfs the entire place.”
“We have been lucky that no death has been recorded, but several properties have been destroyed. We have resolved to deploy armed police officers on the fuel centers to ensure safety,” Ssenfuma noted. Hassan Wasswa Kaziba, a resident and fisherman at Lyabaana, acknowledged the cost implications but stressed the benefits. “Much as the initiative will require some money to stand, especially paying security guards and establishing structures for stores, its management costs will not equal damages and losses caused by fire.”
The Assistant Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Fred Isingoma, welcomed the move, saying his office would adopt it and introduce similar measures across other scattered islands to avert such dangers. Meanwhile, the Office of the Prime Minister and the Uganda Red Cross Society have provided relief items to the affected families, including food, tarpaulins, solar lamps, cups, plates, blankets, and jerrycans. Edgar Ngonzi, a Red Cross official in charge of Greater Mukono, delivered these alongside District Woman Member of Parliament Suzan Nakaziba and Robert Migadde Ndugwa.