Hundreds displaced as R. Malaba bursts its banks.

More than 100 families in Malaba town council, Tororo district, are counting losses after River Malaba burst its banks, washing away crops and destroying property.

The affected villages include: Amoni ‘’A’’ and Amoni ‘’B’’ cells in Asinge Ward, as well as Kataboi ‘’A’’ and Kataboi ‘’B’’ cells in Akolodongo Ward that neighbor the river banks.

For several years, these areas have been prone to floods as a result of rivers bursting their banks, leaving residents homeless and others dead.

According to Cosmas Ekisa, the chairperson of LCI Amoni ‘’A’’ Cell, River burst its banks on the wee hours of Sunday, washing away crops and livestock in the area.

“This is a very big challenge to the people of this area because they have lost most of their property because the river burst its banks at the wee hours, when most people who could have come for their rescue were asleep,” he said.

He urged the locals to plant trees, saying they play a great role in mitigating the effects of climate change.

Ekisa urged the Uganda Red Cross to come for rescue because most of the affected families were left helpless.

“I call upon the Uganda Red Cross Society to be on high alert because of the heavy rains that are being experienced,” he said.

Christopher Igwalat, a person with disabilities whose grass thatched house was submerged by the floods, recounts how the floods forced him to leave his hat and wet everything before washing away his birds.

‘’I survived because the water level did not reach up to my bed; otherwise, I was not going to survive because the water had a lot of force to an extent. At first I thought it was an earthquake, but only to realize it was floods’’ he recounts.

Igwalat appealed to the government to come to their rescue; their lives would be threatened.

Stephen Ibukui, a resident of Amoni ‘’B’’ cell, appealed to the government and well-wishers to intervene because the food he had stocked was submerged by the floods.

He anticipates the situation to become a security threat to their families because even the crops they had planted and anticipated to harvest by the end of the month of May were also washed away.

‘’We cannot pretend, but we are appealing for support from the government because even the crops we were banking on have been washed away by the flood, meaning that our families are likely to face hunger,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, Isaac Aseu Omella, the town clerk of Malaba Town Council, confirmed that the team has been sent on the ground to assess the damage, upon which they can base their top lobby for support from the Office of the Prime Minister.

He blamed it on encroachment on the river banks by human activities. More than one hundred families in Malaba town council, Tororo district, are counting losses after River Malaba burst its banks, washing away crops and destroying.

The affected villages include: Amoni ‘’A’’ and Amoni ‘’B’’ cells in Asinge Ward, as well as Kataboi ‘’A’’ and Kataboi ‘’B’’ cells in Akolodongo Ward that neighbor the river banks.

For several years, these areas have been prone to floods as a result of rivers bursting their banks, leaving residents homeless and others dead.

According to Cosmas Ekisa, the chairperson of LCI Amoni ‘’A’’ Cell, River burst its banks on the wee hours of Sunday, washing away crops and livestock in the area.

“This is a very big challenge to the people of this area because they have lost most of their property because the river burst its banks at the wee hours, when most people who could have come for their rescue were asleep,” he said.

He urged the locals to plant trees, saying they play a great role in mitigating the effects of climate change.

Ekisa urged the Uganda Red Cross to come for rescue because most of the affected families were left helpless.

“I call upon the Uganda Red Cross Society to be on high alert because of the heavy rains that are being experienced,” he said.

Christopher Igwalat, a person with disabilities whose grass thatched house was submerged by the floods, recounts how the floods forced him to leave his hat and wet everything before washing away his birds.

‘’I survived because the water level did not reach up to my bed; otherwise, I would not have survived because the water had a lot of force to an extent. At first I thought it was an earthquake, but only to realize it was floods’’ he recounts.

Igwalat appealed to the government to come to their rescue; their lives would be threatened.

Stephen Ibukui, a resident of Amoni ‘’B’’ cell, appealed to the government and well-wishers to intervene because the food he had stocked was submerged by the floods.

He anticipates the situation to become a security threat to their families because even the crops they had planted and anticipated to harvest by the end of the month of May were also washed away.

‘’We cannot pretend, but we are appealing for support from the government because even the crops we were banking on have been washed away by the flood, meaning that our families are likely to face hunger,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, Isaac Aseu Omella, the town clerk of Malaba Town Council, confirmed that the team has been sent on the ground to assess the damage, upon which they can base their top lobby for support from the Office of the Prime Minister.

He blamed it on encroachment on river banks by human activities, which he said need to be regulated.

''Thank God that no incident of death was reported; otherwise, the level of damage was immense. However, I have sent my team on the ground to assess the level of damage upon which they can base a top lobby for support from the Office of the Prime Minister'' he said. 

 ''Thank God that no incident of death was reported; otherwise, the level of damage was immense. However, I have sent my team on the ground to assess the level of damage, upon which they can base their top lobby for support from the Office of the Prime Minister,'' he said.