Bugisu region MPs;Hon Stephen Wabusano,(left)Hon Nambeshe John Baptist,(2nd from left)Hon John Musila (2nd from right)and Bulambuli district MP Emmanuel Beara Wepukhulu (right)at the Bulambuli IDP Camp.Photo/IP
BULAMBULI, Uganda
Local leaders and victims of catastrophic landslides in Eastern Uganda are raising alarms over deteriorating humanitarian conditions, warning that internally displaced persons (IDPs) are being neglected by the state and left to live a life far worse than foreign refugees.
Bugigai County MP Stephen Wabusano criticized the slow government response in the Bunambutye Resettlement Area.
“This issue is beyond party affiliations and the OPDM should today or tomorrow move with speed and arrest this situation or else we will gare crash at the ministers office until this issue is ressolved ,” Wabusano said.
While Uganda is globally praised for its progressive open-border policies for refugees fleeing conflict in neighboring South Sudan and Sudan, Wabusano said its own citizens have been displaced by climate disasters while enduring severe resource shortages.
“Internally displaced people here are living a bad life compared to refugees from other countries like Sudan,” Wabusano stated, echoing growing frustration within the Elgon sub-region.
Observers point out that international refugee settlements often receive structured aid, structured water systems, and NGO-led healthcare networks—luxuries that remain out of reach for thousands of Ugandans.
“A Plot to Relocate Rather Than Consult”
The structural failure of the resettlement framework is not a new issue.
John Nambeshe, the Member of Parliament for Manjiya County, has long challenged the Office of the Prime Minister’s (OPM) handling of the Bugisu relocations.
In public stakeholder briefings regarding the acquisition of the Bunambutye site, Nambeshe openly questioned the integrity of the land selection process.
“These people have lost their loved ones and livelihood.Officials from the OPM must show definitive proof of clean ownership for the 2,800 acres of land in Bunambutye Sub-county before forcing people there,”he added.
This process has serious encumbrances and is structured more as a plot to launch relocations rather than a genuine, safe consultation for landslide victims.
The lack of systemic planning highlighted by Nambeshe has manifested in a compounding crisis for the host district.
Emmanuel Biara Wepukhulu, the Member of Parliament for Bulambuli County, emphasized that without structural environmental management, the resettlement zone remains acutely vulnerable to extreme weather.
“Bugisu affairs ministry should be established to deal with disaster affairs like other regions.”said Wepukhulu.
He said that the issue will be tabled in parliarment soon as an issue of national importance by an MP from Bugisu region.
The MP said that the displacement has greatly affected conjugal rights between couples leading to infidelity and illegal abortions.
“For the two year couples have been separated many social evils have cropped up such as pregnancies out of wedlock and infidelity in the camp,”he said.
Broken Pledges and Starvation Threaten Bunambutye
The structural grievances of the displaced families are backed by an official multi-page memorandum drafted by the Bunambutye Resettlement Area Executive Committee and signed by area chairperson Kidiyo Julius.
According to the document, hundreds of families relocated from landslide-prone districts like Bududa, Namisindwa and Manafwa have faced a multi-year stall in infrastructure and basic services.
“These people were promised by the government money that has not trickled down up to now,”said Beara.
Media reports from the region confirm that an acute water shortage has gripped outer residential zones, forcing women and children to trek over 10 kilometers to find clean domestic water.
This is exacerbated by a harsh climate mirroring the neighboring semi-arid Karamoja region.
Local government portals and regional media reports highlight the following critical issues confronting the Bunambutye community
Stalled Administrative Services:
Despite a strict directive from Prime Minister Robinah Nabanja to operationalize a local town council to smooth public service delivery, the initiative has not yet been implemented.
Educational Deficits:
Children are left vulnerable due to a complete lack of secure fencing around Bunambutye Primary School.
Furthermore, a lack of secondary schools and tertiary institutions nearby leaves primary leavers with nowhere to continue their education.
Healthcare Breakdown:
The area’s primary medical facility, Bunambutye Health Centre III, remains vastly understaffed, operates in total darkness due to zero electricity extensions and lacks an ambulance or basic transport to navigate the long distance to the closest referral hospital.
Unfulfilled Economic Pledges:
Desperate residents remind the government that heifers promised by President Yoweri Museveni during a 2019 commissioning to boost milk production and household income have never arrived.
Land Ownership Insecurity:
Families given agricultural plots have yet to receive formal land titles, creating widespread anxiety over potential eviction or legal disputes.
The community is also battling a rise in local crime and social issues due to extended periods of temporary camp placement.
Area police records from Bulambuli have previously flagged spikes in domestic friction and substance abuse linked to the harsh living conditions.
While the OPM recently announced a 57-billion-shilling cabinet approval to transition future landslide victims directly into permanent housing using 10-million-shilling resettlement grants, current residents say they have been completely forgotten.
Leaders are calling for an emergency joint meeting between the Bulambuli district team, the Bugisu parliamentary caucus and the Office of the Prime Minister to address the humanitarian gap before desperate families abandon the camp to risk returning to the deadly slopes of Mount Elgon.
Bubulo East MP John Musila called on Wepukhulu not to relent fighting for the rights of the Bulambuli diaplaced persons.
“ These people live on a single meal per day.Biara,donot fear we are all in support of you” said Musila.
The combative MP questioned the government on why it has taken it long to complete building the 900 housing units for the displaced person.
“They promised to build 900 housing units for you but only 500 units have been build.The people cannot continue living in such deplorable conditions,”he said.
Musila said the MPs will stand up as peoples representatives and take the grevancies to the minister.
“Even if they pretend to be deaf,we will walk in the ministers office as Bugisu region leaders and pin point the weaknesses leading to this menace,”
“We thank the President for the purchase of the land.However we cannot overlook these people in danger of Bilhaziar and other diseases that will strike them as a result of drinking unclean water,”
Ends.
