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Umukuuka wa Bugisu writes to President Museveni, Proposes an Integrated Approach to Resettlement of Persons from Landslide-Prone Areas
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The cultural leader of Bugisu (Umukuuka wa Bugisu) Sir Jude Mike Mudoma has proposed an Integrated Disaster Management Framework (IDMF) for handling the resettlement of an estimated 13,000 households living in areas prone to landslides in eastern Uganda rather than by use of force.
The Government of Uganda (GoU) this month (October 2026) announced that it had initially set aside Uganda Shillings Sixty-Two Billion (UGX62bn) to resettle in a phased manner about 13,000 households that are living in the Bugisu areas prone to landslides.
Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja Musafiri said each household would receive a one-off payment of UGX18m and be expected to vacate the areas within two weeks. Nabbanja added, however, that those with crops reaching maturity would be given up to end of December to occasionally return to the areas during day hours only for the purposes of harvesting their crops, threatening that force would be used to evacuate those who do not cooperate with the arrangements.
According to Umukuuka’s Mudoma’s Minister for Information, Media and Communications, Alfred Geresom Musamali, the cultural leader has written to President Yoweri Museveni offering alternative solutions to the resettlement problem in the Bugisu region.
The cultural leader Mudoma, in his letter to President Museveni, appreciated GoU for the intervention but pointed out that the approach of giving households a lump sum while forcing them out of their ancestral homes without any hope of further social, economic, and psychological support is not likely to yield desirable results.
Instead, Umukuuka Mudoma proposed the IDMF that maintains the primary UGX18m payout but also introduces a supplementary Three-Year Rehabilitation Retainer Fund of UGX 750,000 per quarter per household (totalling UGX9 million over 3 years). The cultural leader, in addition, sought an audience with President Museveni to further discuss the finer details of the IDMF.
“The provision of the UGX 18 million full package per household is an essential primary step to facilitate the immediate evacuation and purchase of land in safer areas. However, because physical relocation from ancestral homes induces deep social, economic, and psychological shock, an immediate cash package alone cannot guarantee long-term survival. I propose an IDMF that maintains the primary UGX18m payout but introduces a supplementary Three-Year Rehabilitation Retainer Fund of UGX750,000 per quarter per household (totalling UGX9 million over 3 years per household),” said Umukuuka Mudoma in the letter.
“To ensure absolute accountability, these disbursements will be governed by strict oversight conditions managed jointly by the government and the cultural institution. This critical safety net will allow our people to voluntarily vacate high-risk areas without the use of administrative force, powerfully depicting that the government deeply cares for the lifelong dignity of her people,” he added.
Umukuuka Mudoma said, “Moving entire families from their ancestral lands is an economic. psychological, and logistical disruption. While the direct cash injection allows households to buy land independently, the one-off payout model exhibits structural flaws.”
Strict Oversight and Disbursement Conditions
To eliminate financial mismanagement, guarantee transparency, and ensure public funds achieve their intended purpose, Umukuuka Mudoma proposes that the quarterly release of the UGX 750,000 will be strictly subject to three oversight conditions. Those are verification of permanent vacation, biometric verification and direct payouts to households and conditional livelihood alignment.
“Before any quarterly instalment is processed, the local Joint Resettlement Taskforce (comprising OPM technical officers and local Clan Chiefs) must inspect and certify that the household has fully vacated the high-risk slopes and that old structures have been decommissioned,” he said.
“From the 3rd quarter onwards, beneficiaries must provide verifiable proof of land clearing, agricultural planting, micro-enterprise setup, or enrolment in a vocational program within their new settlement. To eliminate middlemen and “ghost” beneficiaries, funds will be pushed directly to verified Mobile Money accounts or bank accounts registered in the biometric system established during the primary UGX 18 million rollout. Families with school-aged children must present local school attendance records and basic healthcare clinic registrations within their new sub-counties to qualify for subsequent quarterly disbursements.
A quarterly Review Board consisting of the Ministry of Finance, the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), Local Governments and in partnership with the Office of the Umukuuka wa Bugisu will audit the disbursement rosters before releasing funds for the subsequent quarter.
“Adjusting the recovery package to UGX 750,000 per quarter paired with rigorous oversight conditions provides the government with an airtight guarantee of financial accountability, while extending a practical, compassionate lifeline to the Bamasaaba people. I request a consultative audience with you, Your Excellency the President, to formally present this harmonised blueprint, combining state resources with cultural ability to save lives, preserve dignity, and demonstrate the compassionate leadership of the Government,” Umukuuka wa Bugisu concluded.
