KAMPALA, UGANDA – The State Minister for Lands, Dr. Sam Mayanja, has urged a radical shift in handling landslides, advocating for a new institution to find permanent technological solutions rather than relocating communities from their ancestral lands.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The minister’s remarks highlight a growing debate on how to address the recurring natural disasters that plague the mountainous regions of Eastern and Western Uganda, which have for years resulted in significant loss of life and displacement.
Minister Mayanja posited that the prevailing strategy of relocating communities from disaster-prone areas not only disrupts the social fabric but also proves unsustainable in the long run, citing concerns that it undermines the cultural heritage and resilience of affected populations.
He underscored the profound cultural and ancestral bonds that communities have with their land, highlighting the intricate web of historical, spiritual, and emotional connections that define their identity and sense of belonging.
“For how long shall we keep transferring people from their districts to other districts? There must be a technology to ensure that these landslide-prone areas can be made less prone, so that even if they are struck by earthquakes they are not affected so much or moved from their ancestral homes,” Minister Mayanja emphasized.
The official emphasized the necessity for substantial government investment in research and technology to develop engineered solutions, such as slope stabilization measures, to mitigate the impact of disasters affecting the population.
The minister’s concerns are grounded in the harsh reality that the areas around Mount Elgon and the Rwenzori Mountains face a high annual probability of landslide incidents.
The most vulnerable districts in the Elgon region include Sironko, Bududa, and Bulambuli, as well as those in the Sebei Sub-Region, along with western districts around the Rwenzori Mountains like Kasese, Kisoro, and Kabale, all of which are perpetually at risk.
These areas are characterized by a dangerous combination of factors: high rainfall, steep slopes, widespread deforestation, and inherently unstable soil conditions.
Uganda’s worst landslide disaster occurred in March 2010 in Bududa District, where a massive mudslide buried three villages, claiming an estimated 300 lives.
The primary government response to these disasters, such as the relocation of hundreds of survivors from the 2010 Bududa catastrophe to new settlements in Kiryandongo District, has been moving affected communities to safer, lower-lying areas.
However, many displaced individuals have expressed a strong desire to return to their ancestral homes, citing difficulties adapting to new environments, loss of community cohesion, and less fertile farmland in their new locations.
The debate now centers on whether Uganda will continue its reactive approach or invest in a proactive, science-driven strategy to secure the futures of thousands of its citizens living in the shadow of these unstable slopes.
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