Uganda offers Shs18 million to Elgon families, with a permanent exit required

Families on Mount Elgon’s most dangerous slopes are being offered money for land and a new home, but accepting it means leaving their old plots for good. Uganda’s Cabinet has approved Shs18 million per household for 1,423 families facing very high landslide risk, according to Daily Monitor Uganda (direct). Their former land must be handed to the government and will come under Uganda Wildlife Authority management.

The payments form part of a Shs62 billion resettlement programme intended to reduce deaths and damage from landslides. Justine Lumumba, the minister for ICT and National Guidance, told journalists at the Media Centre on Tuesday that the first phase would focus on households in the greatest danger. Each will receive Shs8 million for land and Shs10 million for house construction. All amounts are in Ugandan shillings.

Money for a home, but no return to the slopes

Families will have a choice over how to secure their new land. The government has identified 2,217.66 acres and Cabinet has approved its purchase at an estimated Shs8.870 billion. Lumumba said the land had been assessed for its suitability for purchase and resettlement. Households choosing the government’s land arrangement will receive two acres valued at Shs8 million, with the remaining Shs10 million used to build a house.

The requirement to surrender the old land is central to the plan. Earlier relocation efforts have struggled with families returning to vulnerable slopes after receiving assistance. Placing the vacated plots under government control is intended to prevent that pattern from repeating. Lumumba made the obligation explicit:

“After receiving their resettlement support, the households will be required to leave the affected land and hand it over to government,” Lumumba said.

Leaving is not simply a housing decision. Many Mount Elgon families earn their living from agriculture on fertile volcanic soils and have resisted abandoning ancestral land. Yet the region, particularly Bududa and neighbouring districts, has repeatedly suffered landslides and mudslides that destroyed homes, gardens, roads and other infrastructure. A March 2010 disaster in Bududa killed more than 300 people, intensifying calls for permanent relocation.

A larger funding bill remains

The initial Shs62 billion allocation will not cover everyone exposed to landslide danger. Another 10,558 households in areas classified as high risk need Shs190.044 billion for resettlement, according to the Cabinet resolutions reported by Daily Monitor Uganda. Cabinet approved providing that additional funding through a supplementary budget—extra spending added to the existing budget. The programme will assist the very-high-risk group before moving to other high-risk locations.

The Office of the Prime Minister will coordinate the work with the Internal Security Organisation, local governments and Parish Development Model structures. Those agencies will also monitor beneficiaries’ use of the funds, Lumumba said. That oversight accompanies a programme whose earlier versions have faced inadequate funding, limited land availability and resistance from affected communities.

The next tests are delivering support to the first 1,423 households and securing the additional budget provision for the larger group. With heavy rains increasing landslide risks, the challenge is to turn approved funding and identified land into permanent moves—not another temporary departure from the mountain’s vulnerable slopes.