Summary:
- Busongora County South Member of Parliament, Hon. Gideon Thembo Mujungu, has called on the Office of the Prime Minister to provide immediate support to the victims.
KASESE: Five residents of Kyarukara Cell in Katwe–Kabatooro Town Council, Kasese District, are nursing injuries following a heavy downpour accompanied by strong winds that ravaged the area on Wednesday Evening.
The injured have been identified as 70-year-old Mericelina Kahindo; two-year-olds Job Isingoma, Sizella Nyakato, and Vinelanda Katusabe and 47-year-old Ernest Bulemu, a resident of the area.
Bulemu, who sustained minor injuries, told Messiah Radio that his daughter, Vinelanda Katusabe, suffered a broken leg after falling bricks from their collapsing house struck her. She was rushed to Bwera Government General Hospital for treatment.
Mericelina Kahindo sustained a head injury and lost her house, leaving her homeless. She has appealed to local leaders for assistance.
Iryn Kiiza, Secretary of the Katwe Salt Miners’ SACCO, revealed that the SACCO offices were also destroyed, resulting in the loss of critical documents.
Call for Urgent Support:
Busongora County South Member of Parliament, Hon. Gideon Thembo Mujungu, has called on the Office of the Prime Minister to provide immediate support to the victims. During a visit to the affected areas, he noted that at least 65 houses were destroyed in the calamity, leaving over 300 people homeless.
Mujungu reported that the storm also ripped off the roofs of a police shelter and Daystar International Ministries Church near Lake Munyanyange.
He visited severely affected cells, including Kiganda and Kyarukara, where he advised victims not to camp in one location for safety reasons.
Mujungu pledged to compile a report to secure government support for the victims. He also urged local leaders to encourage residents to plant trees to act as windbreakers, noting that the affected houses were in open areas with no trees nearby.
Community Leaders Speak Out:
Local Council I chairpersons Robert Honey (Kyarukara B) and Patrick Baguma (Kyarukara A) commended Hon. Mujungu for his swift response and efforts to comfort the victims. They appealed to stakeholders for urgent support.
Several victims, including Annah Birungi and Naboth Deo, also called on the government to intervene through the Office of the Prime Minister.
