RUBIRIZI – The devastating downpour, coupled with strong winds and a hailstorm, has swept through Rubirizi District, destroying dozens of homes and wiping out extensive gardens, leaving residents counting their losses.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The rain, which lasted about four hours, swept through Nyaruharo II Village in Rumuri Parish, Kicwamba Sub-County, destroying many homes, pit latrines, cooking huts, and crop gardens, and ripping off the roof of the former Rumuri COPE School.
The disaster, which struck the community without warning, has left dozens of families homeless and in desperate need of assistance after their crops, including bananas, beans, cassava, potatoes, and other food crops, were completely flattened.
Eyewitnesses Safari Naziru and Abarikurungi Agnes described the situation as dire, revealing that they were left in shock with nothing to put on the table since all their crops were heavily destroyed.
The two noted that they had taken loans and received PDM money, which requires repayment, but do not know where to start. They appealed to the government and local leaders to help them urgently before hunger strikes.
Some of the affected families, including Matsika Frolance and Ajiri Narumansi, revealed that they were left without shelter and are forced to sleep outside, with no food to feed their children.
They added that many had borrowed money to pay school fees but fear their children might drop out due to poverty and hunger, thus requesting well-wishers to urgently help them with food so that their children can stay in school.
“We have no shelter and are sleeping outside. We have no food to feed our children. Most of us borrowed money for school fees, but now our children risk dropping out due to poverty and hunger. We urgently call for government and well-wisher intervention,” they said.
Monica Kafuzi, the LC1 Vice Chairperson of Nyaruharo II Village, sympathized with and consoled the residents, giving them hope as she confirmed the incident was serious and required urgent intervention.
“Many homes have been destroyed, gardens are gone, and even the former Rumuri COPE School has been affected. We have started documenting all affected homes and their gardens so that we can forward the report to higher officers for support,” she noted.
Kafuzi urged all affected residents to register themselves, warning that whoever fails risks being left out when assistance arrives, and further called for community unity during this hard time so they can recover together.
She pledged to mobilize the community and ensure fair distribution of aid, while urging residents to embrace climate-smart agriculture such as planting trees, growing windbreaks and hedges, and terracing gardens to protect crops from future destruction by strong winds.
Didas Barigye, the Rubirizi District Agriculture Officer, addressed the disaster’s impact on agriculture and livestock, calling for resilience and input support, noting it had wiped out the food security of many households.
He said the district authority would work with the Office of the Prime Minister and other partners to support affected families with quick-maturing seeds, food relief, and agricultural inputs so they can plant again before the next season ends.
“We are going to work with the Office of the Prime Minister and other partners to support these families with quick-maturing seeds, food relief, and agricultural inputs so that they can plant again before the next season ends,” said Barigye.
The Office urged farmers to adopt climate-smart agriculture through terracing, grass strips, and trenches, pledged quick-recovery training for farmers, and said relief distribution will prioritize vulnerable households, including women, children, and the elderly.
The incident serves as a stark reminder of the increasing frequency of extreme weather events and the urgent need for climate resilience measures in rural communities across Uganda.
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