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Uganda

Uganda: Account for aid to landslide victims - Ecweru

By David Mafab

The Minister of State for Disaster Preparedness has asked development partners and the Bududa District authorities to give accountability for funds spent on landslide victims.

Mr Musa Ecweru, who was meeting the district leaders recently to officially communicate government decision to relocate the landslide victims to Kiryandongo, said: "After the resettlement matter has been concluded, there will be a debrief involving all partners who participated in the response."

Accountability

Mr Ecweru said: "You will be required to give satisfactory account of the resources you received in the name of Bududa and explain how these resources were put to the intended purpose."

The government in March resettled the landslide survivors temporary at Bulucheke camp.

Several humanitarian agencies, companies and countries gave aid to the landslide victims.

The Uganda Red Cross Society coordinator, Ms Kevin Nabutuwa, who handled aid at the camp, said: "Many organisations brought drugs, food, cooking utensils, clothes and beddings for use at the camp."

Evaluation

Ms Nabutuwa said: "We can't evaluate this in terms of cash but as the Red Cross, we spent about Shs21 million towards health. So I have to consult the organisations to find out how much in terms of cash they spent on Bududa landslide victims."

Bududa Chief Administrative Officer Vitalis Oswan expressed ignorance about the amount of money spent at Bulucheke Camp. The distribution of supplies for the landslide victims began on March 5, four days after landslides buried three villages, killing 300 people.