Residents walk through a cassava plantation that was destroyed during the storm in Rubirizi district

By Chris Mugasha     

OVER 3,000 residents of Katanda sub-county in Rubirizi district, whose crops were destroyed in a Tuesday hailstorm, may be hit by famine.

 The heavy rain characterised by hailstones, left plantations ravaged in Katerera, Mugyera, Ryamatumba, Kisharu B and Katanda villages. Over 620 households were seriously affected. 

A group of residents carried basins of ice and to the district headquarters to show their leaders how they had been affected.

Mohamood Banyanga, lost nine turkeys and two hens while another family lost a pig and a goat. On Wednesday some banana, cassava and potatoes gardens were still flooded with ice.

“Our children are going to suffer from malnutrition because tomato, greens, cassava and potato gardens have been totally destroyed at the time when they are going back to school,” said James Boona, who lost several plantations.

“We had kept this cassava plantation for food security but now we have to uproot all of it,” said Milton Kampikaho, during LC5 chairman David Kisembo’s visit to the destroyed areas. “Our income is from cash crops, especially coffee and matooke,” Kampikaho said.

Bwoomwe added: “our income is no more, where are we going to get school fees for our children?” Kisembo said being a new district, it might be difficult to bail out the affected families.

He, however, noted that each sector would get money from its budget to assist the affected families as they wait for support from the ministry of disaster preparedness.

 “Compile a list of the affected households and the things that were destroyed so we can send it to the ministry,” Kisembo advised.
 
However, Jaires Kyokunda said, “Whenever such disasters occur, we are asked to submit lists of affected families but we have never received any support from government.”