Opposition Democratic Party (DP) has advised government on measures that can be collectively taken to address the Bududa perennial disasters.
Over 40 people are reported to have lost their lives and hundreds injured following the landslides that hit Suume village in Bududa Districts days ago.
Addressing the media on Tuesday, the DP President, Norbert Mao noted that government is to blame squarely for the Bududa tragedy given the fact that natural disasters can now be scientifically predicted.
Mao said that it is so sad that with all the powers that government has under the law which among others is to proclaim emergency procedures and resettle people, it has kept reluctant.
Mao has thus proposed that government takes the following measures to offer a final solution to the Bududa tragedy.
“We propose that government should declare certain areas out of bounds and enforce that declaration since I am sure not the whole of Budada district is prone to such disasters,” Mao suggested.
Mao noted that government should implement the decision to resettle the displaced people since money was budgeted under the land fund.
On the issue of resistance to resettlement by people in Bududa, Mao advised that government should take on a vigorous public education campaign.
“This is a matter of public education, naturally people are going to resist, there are those people who believe that unless they are buried in their ancestral home, their souls will not rest in peace,” Mao noted.
“There are those who believe that if they are moved to settle in another area, may be crops will not grow, this is 2018 it is the duty of government to talk to its people.”
Mao observed that as a leader in Gulu during the LRA war, they faced a similar problem in Northern Uganda but they employed a lot of efforts.
“The people of Bududa should know that all land is land; our society must overcome certain inbuilt biases which take long to overcome; the people of Bududa need to be educated that all land is equal, there are Ugandans buried all over and they are resting in peace.”
“We may not do much to change nature but if we understand nature then we can learn to respond to its unpredictable aspects.”
The DP President added that the party shall visit Bududa and also reach out to those they believe can contribute so that they can donate through the Red Cross.
“Last time we declared this place a collection centre but this time, we are calling upon all Ugandans to donate through the Uganda Red Cross Society so that the donations are more organized; we can’t have every little operation as a collection centre.”