The Government of Uganda has issued a definitive December 31st, 2026, deadline for all residents in landslide-prone mountainous zones to vacate their homes or face forced eviction.
The Prime Minister, Robinah Nabbanja announced the strict enforcement measures during a multi-day, door-to-door assessment of vulnerable households across the Bugisu sub-region, declaring that the administration is “tired of losing lives”. She emphasized that the immediate preservation of human life will now take absolute precedence over voluntary compliance.
The standard operational timeline has been accelerated following a directive from President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on October 5th, 2026. The directive orders the immediate release of a UGX 43 billion relocation fund, earmarking flat-rate payouts of UGX 18 million per household to facilitate swift resettlement to safer territories.
The uniform payment structure has drawn notable pushback from local landholders and local residents who argue that a flat UGX 18 million payout fails to fairly compensate families abandoning larger, more valuable agricultural plots.
In response, Nabbanja noted that UGX 18 million may not be commensurate to the big chunks of land but it can help people to shift to safer places.
She maintained that protecting human life must take priority over land ownership, insisting that it is better to leave behind a large piece of land than to lose one’s life.
Clear warnings were issued by the Prime Minister to previous aid beneficiaries who accepted state compensation but subsequently returned to high-risk zones.
“You got 10 million, you got 2 acres and now you are back because the house is still there, we shall flash you off. If you take the money, go; if you don’t take the money, you will go,” she warned.
She emphasized that authorities will forcefully clear out those remaining by the end of the year.
The enforcement drive follows serious warnings from meteorological experts, who confirm that heavy El Niño-related rainfall is expected to trigger next month, drastically elevating the imminent risk of catastrophic mudslides.
State Ministers and area Members of Parliament have strongly commended the proactive disaster preparedness model. Concurrently, cabinet officials are lobbying for localized affirmative action budgets to address the severe lack of essential infrastructure, healthcare facilities, and ambulance access across the challenging mountainous terrain of the Bugisu sub-region.
