President Yoweri Museveni visited Bududa District that was hit by landslides on Thursday, to assess extent of damage and also condole with families that lost dear ones.
According to authorities 43 people died and an unknown number are missing after almost 150 homes were swept away by a torrent of boulders washed down the mountainside by the Sume river.
The President apologized for government’s delay to relocate the people living in the danger zone to safer places, and committed that the exercise would be fast-tracked to ensure there are no further casualities.
According to him, the politicisation of the relocation programme delayed the resettlement process.
“Move away from the mountains and conserve nature. The politicisation of the relocation programme has been resolved. If politics had not been at the centre, then people would have been resettled in phases,” Mr Museveni said on Sunday addressing the mostly affected residents Bukalasi Sub-county.
He also promised to give Shs5 million to families of each person who died in the mudslides and Shs2 million to each of those who were injured.