Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja has questioned officials from the Office of the Prime Minister over their failure to deliver resettlement funds to landslide-affected households in Bududa District, leaving families without promised financial assistance despite earlier government commitments. The confrontation emerged during a field verification exercise ahead of disbursement of a new Shs18 million cash package for households at greatest risk from landslides in the Bugisu Sub-region. Nabbanja, accompanied by ministers and other government officials, is leading the exercise to verify beneficiaries and establish their eligibility before the new funds are released.
The verification exercise has exposed significant gaps in earlier resettlement programmes. Some households said they received land but not the Shs10 million in compassionate support intended to help them construct houses. Andrew Nabushuwu, a resident who returned from the resettlement area in Girigi, Lower Kween, said he had received two acres of land but had not received the Shs10 million promised to help him build a house. He said the failure to access the money had left him and other families living in tents as they waited for government assistance. According to Nabushuwu, 207 families were stranded in Girigi after their tents were withdrawn before they received the cash support.
Nabbanja expressed frustration that the promised funds had remained in the bank since 2023 without being disbursed. 'We told you to give them ten million and you didn't give them, yet we had the money; it has been in the bank since 2023,' she said to OPM officials. She added: 'You kept them in the camp for decades because you wanted to supply food. When I stopped the supply of food, now they became homeless.' Residents described difficult conditions in temporary camps, with some alleging that men and women were accommodated in separate tents, leaving families vulnerable to separation.
Previous government interventions included the construction of houses and a subsequent arrangement under which beneficiaries were allocated land and promised Shs10 million to support house construction. The discovery that some households had not received their promised assistance has forced a reassessment of outstanding obligations under the earlier programme. The latest verification exercise is part of a new government programme offering Shs18 million to each eligible household to purchase land in safer locations. Government has earmarked Shs43 billion for the current phase, targeting households considered to be at greatest risk across the Bugisu Sub-region.
Nabbanja pledged to remain in the region until the verification exercise is completed and the funds reach the intended recipients. The Prime Minister said the verification exercise must establish reliable records of affected households and ensure that only eligible beneficiaries receive the money. The outstanding question is why some households reportedly went without the earlier promised assistance despite money being available since 2023, and what explanation OPM officials will provide for the delays and reported discrepancies in beneficiary records.