Earthquake victims say, we are left in ruins

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Written by Ambrose Musasisi, Mehdi Sinkapiru

On September 10, 2016, a 5.7-magnitude earthquake hit the country, while most of the country was unaffected, Chitera County was not so lucky. The earthquake left a trail of devastation in the area that the population is still struggling with to this day.

Mrs. Jacqueline Merembe was 14 years old at the time. Her family’s home in Minziri village, Kyebe sub-prefecture collapsed when the earthquake hit and since then they have been sleeping in the cold, and her mother, Mrs. Josephine Nakagwa, says with the help of residents, she was able to make a one-room mud-and-mud house with a tarpaulin covering used as a roof where her family sleeps.

“My daughters were going to school when the earthquake hit our area. Since we lost everything including my crops which I was getting to pay the fees, my children have had to drop out of school,” the single mother said during an interview on June 30. Authorities said the quake destroyed more than 500 homes in Kakuuto and Kyebe counties, and another 3,186 caused cracks.

Days after the earthquake, President Museveni visited the affected villages and pledged to help the victims, Mr. Museveni said each family would receive at least 30 pieces of iron, cement and iron bars. When the items are delivered, victims say the pledge is long overdue.

“We have gone through another election cycle and we don’t see any help coming our way, we are asking the President to look into our case and keep his promise,” said Mr. Joseph Kagizhi, one of the affected residents. He struggled to find a suitable home for his family of nine, and he hopes the government will come to their rescue. “If the government had provided at least iron plates for every family, we could build houses using mud and sleep. But I ended up building a two-room house that couldn’t accommodate the whole family.

More than 380 families have been affected in her district, Ms. Agnes Namosetwa, Vice-President of Kiotira District, who is also a member of Kakuoto Sub-district Council, said the Prime Minister’s Office has sent some relief items including jerrycans, 200 blankets, 10,000 kg of flour Corn, beans (5,000 kg) and tarpaulins (1,000 kg) when the earthquake struck, but some residents rejected them, saying they needed building materials, not food.

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“After waiting in vain for government help, many of the victims decided to build temporary homes while waiting for the government to fulfill its pledge,” she said. Mr. Jude Sally, Chief of Kakuoto Sub-District, says some residents in the area, who lost their homes due to the earthquake, often suffer from malaria as a result of sleeping in the open where they are bitten by mosquitoes. “It is a really appalling situation, they need urgent help,” said Geoffrey Lutaya, MP for Kakuoto District, who said he was aware of the residents’ plight and promised to keep pressure on the government to provide assistance to the victims.

My predecessor, Christopher Kalimba, has tried to amplify the voices of the victims on the floor of Parliament several times, but he has not been helped. I will continue to push for the same and use other methods to ensure our people get help.” In neighboring Rakai, Mr. Edward Kamiya, Acting Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, said they are facing a similar challenge.

He said that technical evaluation reports showing the extent of damage caused by the earthquake were submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office. “When you move around the area, you can really see how families and institutions have been affected. We have identified 300 families and these people are still waiting for help.”

Mr Kamya added that some people, who have been able to rebuild their homes, are still suffocating due to the loans they have taken to rebuild them: “I have on many occasions appealed to some money lenders and financial institutions to give people more time other than arresting them,” he said.

Government officials said they were waiting for Parliament Mr Martin Owerri, Commissioner for Disaster Preparedness in the Prime Minister’s Office, said they had submitted a ministerial paper to Parliament containing all the details for approval of a budget to help landslide victims in 2016, but this resulted in no consideration mind yet. “When the president pledges something, it is the relevant departments or ministries that fulfill his pledge. Regarding the issue of earthquake victims in Rakai and Kyutera, we have evaluated and come up with a budget for the victims, but Parliament has delayed in approving it. So, don’t blame the president.

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