Kampala, Uganda: Sironko District Woman Member of Parliament Mafabi Asha Nabulo has sounded the alarm over an impending landslide disaster in the Mount Elgon region, urging the government to urgently relocate 1,645 residents still living in high-risk areas before the anticipated heavy rains trigger another tragedy.
Raising the matter on the floor of Parliament during Wednesday’s plenary, Hon Mafabi warned that widening ground cracks and forecasts of El Niño-enhanced rainfall have heightened fears of fresh landslides in Sironko, a district that has repeatedly suffered deadly slope failures over the years.
“Sironko, among other districts in the Elgon region, have faced landslide problems every single year,” Mafabi told Parliament. “Sironko has lost people, cattle, and arable land annually because of landslides.”
The legislator said despite previous government interventions, 1,645 victims identified for relocation remain stranded in dangerous locations, leaving hundreds of families exposed to the looming threat.
“I raise this matter of national importance because we have 1,645 victims who have not been relocated, and the cracks which were formed are expanding,” she said.
El Niño rains heighten fears
Hon Mafabi cautioned that scientific forecasts indicating the likelihood of heavy El Niño rains could worsen the already fragile situation in the district. “We are expecting El Niño rains and the science is that the rain seeps and further drags the soil,” she said.
She appealed to the Office of the Prime Minister to expedite the relocation exercise before disaster strikes. “Right Honourable Prime Minister, we are grateful for all the efforts of government, but we are requesting that the process of relocating is expedited because we are at risk. This is information from the district officers.”
Hon Mafabi’s appeal comes as several communities continue living on unstable mountain slopes despite repeated warnings from technical experts and district authorities.
Years of recurring tragedy
Sironko, located on the slopes of Mount Elgon, remains one of Uganda’s most landslide-prone districts because of its steep terrain, fragile volcanic soils, environmental degradation and increasingly erratic rainfall patterns.
During every major rainy season, sections of the district experience landslides that destroy homes, roads, farmland and other critical infrastructure while displacing families and disrupting livelihoods.
Experts attribute the recurring disasters to a combination of prolonged rainfall, deforestation, cultivation on steep slopes and population pressure forcing communities to settle in hazardous areas.
Painful memories still linger
The wider Mount Elgon region has experienced some of Uganda’s deadliest natural disasters.
In March 2010, neighbouring Bududa District was struck by one of the country’s worst landslides after days of torrential rainfall buried entire villages, killing more than 100 people and leaving many others missing.
The catastrophe prompted government to begin relocating vulnerable households to safer areas in Kiryandongo District, although many residents declined relocation because of cultural attachment to ancestral land, while others later returned to the mountain slopes.
Subsequent landslides have continued to affect Bududa, Sironko, Bulambuli, Namisindwa and Manafwa, with government repeatedly warning communities against settling in high-risk zones.
Beyond just emergency relocation, Hon Mafabi called for sustained investment in disaster preparedness and environmental conservation to reduce future risks.
She urged government to strengthen early warning systems, restore degraded hillsides through tree planting, improve land-use planning and support resettled families with livelihoods to ensure permanent relocation succeeds.
The woman legislator maintained that proactive intervention would save lives and reduce the recurring humanitarian burden associated with landslides in eastern Uganda.
Mafabi’s latest appeal places renewed attention on one of Uganda’s longest-running natural disaster challenges, as authorities prepare for another rainy season amid growing concerns over climate-related extreme weather events.
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