More rains, more mudslides, more problems for Uganda

Over the past few days, Uganda again suffered from torrential rains in parts of the country, both east and west, and subsequent mudslides again took at least eight lives as they cascaded down Mount El

Over the past few days, Uganda again suffered from torrential rains in parts of the country, both east and west, and subsequent mudslides again took at least eight lives as they cascaded down Mount Elgon and the hills around Rukungiri, destroying homesteads and everything else in their way.

The State Minister for Disaster Preparedness, Mr. Musa Ecweru said: โ€œThese hanging rocks indicate that there is great danger in the waiting. It has happened in Mbale, Bududa, Kapchorwa, and now Sironko. The people must move to safer areas.โ€ At least 1,200 people were evacuated yesterday.

A route through the southern sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park was also temporarily impassable as the Ishasha River broke its banks and rose high enough to flood the bridge, bringing traffic in that part of the park to a standstill and marooning park visitors and transit traffic from and to the Congo border at Ishasha on either side with long hours of waiting before the water eventually subsided, but still leaving the roads treacherous and muddy.

โ€œFlooding episodes are likely to persist in Nyanza province and are imminent in Budalangโ€™i, as rivers Nzoia and Yala, as well as other rivers in western Kenya continue swelling as a result of heavy rainfall,โ€ the Kenya Meteorological Department said.

Dr. Joseph Mukabana, the director of Meteorological Services, said the affected areas are around Mt. Elgon, Cherengani, and Nandi Hills.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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