Legislators from Northern Uganda have sounded the alarm over a combination of disasters—floods, hailstorms, and a deadly cholera outbreak, that have claimed lives, destroyed property, and jeopardized food security in the region.
During the August 5, 2025, plenary session, MPs Anthony Akol (Kilak North) and Samuel Opio (Kole North) urged the government to intervene swiftly to mitigate the crises and save lives.
Akol painted a grim picture of Elegu Town Council in Amuru District, where worsening annual floods have fueled a cholera outbreak, with 143 cases and 11 deaths reported so far.
“Floods have swept away traders’ goods and vehicles, yet no relief has reached Elegu,” he said, calling on the Ministry of Water and Environment to expedite a UGX 150 billion intervention to address the meandering River Onyama and test water quality in the town.
Despite efforts to seek help from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) and the Ministry of Relief and Disaster Preparedness, Akol said he was told that no relief items were available.
Minister of State for Primary Health Care, Margaret Muhanga, pledged to coordinate with health authorities to respond to the outbreak. She stressed the importance of hygiene, attributing the cholera spread to open defecation.
“Cholera comes from consuming fecal-contaminated water, and 16% of Ugandans still practice open defecation,” she noted.
However, Speaker Anita Among and MP Nicholas Kamara (Kabale Municipality) corrected the minister’s wording, emphasizing that cholera is caused by consuming food or water contaminated by fecal matter, typically due to floods washing away latrines and polluting water sources.
Minister of State for Environment Beatrice Anywar acknowledged that Elegu has long faced severe flooding, worsened by environmental degradation and population pressure.
She confirmed that the River Onyama intervention is underway and committed to supporting access to clean water.
Meanwhile, MP Samuel Opio reported that hailstorms in Kole District had destroyed over 4,000 acres of crops, including cassava, maize, and beans, and damaged 23 homes. Thirteen livestock were killed, and eight villages were affected, exacerbating the risk of hunger and income loss.
Opio criticized the OPM’s failure to provide relief and questioned the Ministry of Finance’s delay in releasing funds. He also called for enhanced meteorological mapping to predict and prepare for such disasters, noting this was the third hailstorm in four years.
Anywar admitted that limited funding hinders accurate forecasting but said early weather warnings are being issued. She advocated for increased tree planting to serve as natural windbreakers, blaming deforestation around homesteads for worsening storm damage.
Speaker Among urged the government to act without delay, warning that inaction would worsen the humanitarian crisis in Northern Uganda.
Notably, in 2016, the OPM’s Department of Relief and Disaster Preparedness identified Amuru District, including Elegu, as among Uganda’s most flood-prone and high-risk areas. Seasonal flooding there continues to cripple cross-border trade with South Sudan, costing the business community billions in losses.
