Kamuli, Buyende hailstorm: Gov’t to provide relief items

By Francis Otucu

The Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, has said she already contacted government so as to provide relief items to victims of last week’s hailstorms in Buyende and Kamuli districts.

In a statement yesterday, Kadaga sympathized with the families that lost lives during Monday’s fierce hailstorm in Kamuli and Buyende, and appealed to local leaders to spearhead replanting of trees to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change.

“I have already contacted the government to provide relief to the survivors especially those whose houses, property and gardens were destroyed,” she said.

According to Police, 13 people died in Kidera sub county in Buyende district, while another four perished in Kamuli district, including three in Balawoli and one in Namasagali. The Speaker represents Kamuli district in Parliament.

Kadaga urged local leaders to be on the lookout to avoid further destruction of the environment.

“The hailstorms have become fierce and resulted in fatalities because of rampant deforestation. Hundreds of acres of land have been cleared off forest cover,” she said adding “I therefore urge leaders at the lower level to check wanton abuse of the eco-system.”

She further urged leaders to encourage the population to stop deforestation and replace the trees by planting fruit trees such as mangoes, oranges and paw paws.

“Let us take advantage of the rainy season to start the re-afforestation programme; this will increase on the forest cover and will provide quick financial income to our communities,” she said.