Several people hospitalised after River Mbaya burst its banks
Andrew Musinguzi
Journalist @New Vision
__________________ Kyebando residents walk through flooded swamp searching for missing colleagues. (Photo by andrew musinguzi)
Seven people have been rescued and several others hospitalised after they were swept up by floods in Mbaya swamp, Kyebando sub-county in Kibaale district.
The Kibaale resident district commissioner, Godwin Angalia Kasigwa, said River Mbaya burst its banks over the weekend and the fast-flowing waters cut off the roads linking Kisalizi to Kyebando and Kasimbi sub-counties in the Kibaale district, forcing him to deploy security to avoid further accidents. He adds that people have encroached on buffer zones and wetlands disregarding presidential directives.
“After River Mbaya suddenly burst its banks, the raging river washed away pedestrians, property, and animals. About seven people including cyclists were rescued and hospitalised at Kyebando HCIII’’, said Kasigwa.
He directed all schools around River Mbaya especially Kisalizi Primary School to carry out a headcount of their pupils to ascertain whether there are some pupils still missing.
Kasigwa named the affected villages as Kyebando, Kisalizi, Muziranduru, and Kiguma, and expressed concern over the rampant forest and wetland destruction which he said is the leading cause of the floods.
The Kibaale LC5 chairman, Godfrey Muwonge Kasanga, said people have continued to encroach on wetlands with impunity, resulting in such catastrophic disasters. He called on forest and wetland encroachers to stop the vice.
Muwonge called on the government to avail funds for roads to facilitate a total overhaul of infrastructure in the area.
“Some roads are in a sorry state, especially in Kasimbi, Kyebando, and Kisalizi. We need more road funds to ensure maintenance and rehabilitation of dilapidated roads,” said Muwonge.
Peter Kyamanywa, the district councillor for Kyebando sub-county said many pupils from surrounding primary schools are at risk of drowning in the river and asked district officials and the government to intervene.
Survivors of the tragic incident, Janat Uwamana, William Kyomya, and Bosco Mujuni a boda boda cyclist, said they were rescued by good Samaritans after being stuck in the middle of the flooded Mbaya swamp as they crossed a road. They disclosed that it was the second time such a tragic incident has occurred in the area since 2018.
River Mbaya connects with River Nkusi in the Bunyoro sub-region which begins in the hills of Kakumiro town, flowing west through Kibaale and Kagadi districts, emptying its waters into Lake Albert at the Uganda-DR Congo border.
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