Heavy rain displaces 100

Buhweju MP-elect Francis Mwijukye (L) and District Woman MP Olive Koyekyenga visit a resident whose banana plantation was destroyed by heavy rain on Sunday. PHOTO BY FELIX AINEBYONA 

In Summary

Counting the cost. Eleven people are also currently admitted after their houses collapsed on them

More than 100 people in Buhweju District have been displaced by heavy rain that destroyed their homes and property on Easter Sunday.

Eleven people are also currently admitted to Butare Health Centre III after their houses collapsed on them. The rain also brought down St Mary’s Kabegaramire Catholic Church.

The most affected are Kibimba and Rwengwe sub-counties. Mr Seston Niwagira, the Rwenge Sub-county chairman, said the Sunday afternoon rain, which lasted two hours, also destroyed banana, cassava and sweet potato gardens.

Mr Joseph Tumwesigye, a farmer from Kabingo village in Kabimba Sub-county who lost his entire banana planation, said he has been earning about Shs500,000 every two months from selling matooke and using the money to pay school fees for his children.

He asked government to come to their rescue by providing fast-growing crops.

Buhweju County MP-elect Francis Mwijukye and District Woman MP Olive Koyekyenga visited the affected areas and urged government to come to the urgent help of the families.

“I have called the CAO to write to the relevant ministries so that you can get immediate help but we are going to mobilise from anywhere we can get help so that we can save the situation,” said Mr Mwijukye.

He gave Shs200,000 to the patients admitted to Butare Health Centre III and appealed to the district leadership to act immediately to help provide temporary shelter to the affected families.

The Resident District Commissioner, Mr Emmy Turyabagyenyi Kateera, promised residents immediate help from the Operation Wealth Creation programme as government seeks more long-term measures.

“I am going to instruct the officers of Operation Wealth Creation programme to give you immediate attention before they can serve other areas so that you can survive on that in the meantime,’’ Mr Turyabagyenyi told the affected families.