Although district promised to secure for them land elsewhere for settlement, the efforts have not yet yielded any success. Efransi Mugabi, 76, an old single widow caring for six grandchildren whose parents passed away, now sleeps under a tarpaulin tied on the tree outside the LCI chairperson’s house.
Aliasa Byogero, one of the victims whose home was destroyed. He is currently staying in another temprory shelter made up of grass offered to him by another resident at Nairambi.
Days have turned into weeks since the Buvuma Resident District Commissioner Godfrey Tilutya ordered the torching of 80 temporary houses where some 300 Ugandans were living after their permanent homes were destroyed by landslides.
The RDC accused the displaced Ugandans of engaging in sex during daytime out of idleness. He also said they were committing thefts, though none in the razed village had ever been charged with theft.
Over 300 people used to reside in 80 households at Bukiyindi
village in Nairambi sub county but their houses where torched by police a month
ago on orders of RDC Tilutya.
Tilutya reasoned that much as they had been displaced by
slides, they had taken too long without finding an alternative permeant
solution and had started to commit crimes in the area such as having sex during
day time and theft.
Although
district promised to secure for them alternative land for settlement, the efforts
have not yet yielded any success.
Efransi
Mugabi, 76, an old widow caring for six grandchildren whose parents passed away now sleeps in a temporally shelter made up of tarpaulin tied on the tree at the
LCI chairperson’s compound. They take days and nights on empty stomachs.
Moses Basalirwa the Local Council-LCI Chairperson of
Bukiyindi village appeals to good Samaritans come to their rescue at this time.
He notes that many his residents have been forced to believe were
accidently born in a country they claim to belong unless they are given justice.
He notes that majority sleep under the tree while the lucky ones have been allowed to sleep in people’s kitchens
at the nearby villages of Namuziru, Kitiko and Bukimera.
//Cue in: “Munaye, bintu byakweyiiya…
Cue out: …odaaga ekyokulya”//
The land on which the razed camp for the destitute men, women and children belongs to National Oil Palm
Project-NOPP.
NOPP
District Spokesperson Wilson Sserunjogi says much as the period of six months they
had given to these residents elapsed, the project is not in a hurry to use the land
and so they never asked the security committee to evict the unfortunate Ugandans.
The District LC5 Chairperson Adrian Ddungu reveals that they
are still pushing for a permanent solution as they also mobilize resources to
save others who are still sleeping in open.
He says still
wonders why the police officers assigned with this cruel task failed to assess the
dilemma they were landing these people into and until now they have been not held
accountable.
//Cue in: “The problem was…
Cue
out: …nga bwetwagala”//
Meanwhile,
residents call for the president's office to intervene. However our efforts to
talk to the Minister for Presidency Milly Babalanda remain unsuccessful after calls on her known telephone number are not being picked.
