The current downpours recorded countywide are not just rain but a relentless assault that has disrupted several businesses, including rendering major streets of Kampala impassable.
In Banda, Kyambogo, and Kinawataka, known affectionately as the Katogo area, on this day of March 26, 2025, following the morning downpours, residents waded through knee-deep water, dissolving into a chaotic struggle.
Sarah Nakimuli, a resident of Kyambogo and businesswoman in the city center, narrates her ordeal to her colleagues at Cham Towers about how she came close to her car being swept away due to the morning downpour.
“My car was almost swept away; I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s like the city is trying to drown us.” Nakimuli recounts in a trembling voice.
The traffic was pinned to a halt, a mess of vehicles trapped in the rising waters along Jinja-Kampala and also around the Kampala-Entebbe roads, forcing traffic officers to issue a statement.
“We’re advising motorists to use the Northern Bypass or find alternative routes, or, alternatively, please be patient and wait until the water subsides.” SP Kananura Michael from Police PR office advised.
However, patience was a luxury to a few who couldn’t afford it, as businesses remained shuttered and livelihoods hung precariously in the balance.
The impatient lot forced their way through, but some unfortunate ones could not push further as the waters submerged their vehicles, sweeping them to opposite directions.
This downpour misery spread further; it is not confined to the Kampala suburbs alone; it has spread to fragile districts of eastern Uganda prone to mudslides.
In Eastern Uganda, Bulambuli District, the existence of the Bududa landslide survivors was shattered anew, as residents faced yet another devastating experience when their temporary tent structures were blown away by the wind and heavy rains.
“The wind came like a monster, my makeshift tent ripped apart, our children are cold, and we have nothing left.” John, one of the residents, sobs.
The heavy rains, accompanied by ferocious winds, had torn through their relocation settlement in Bunambutye, leaving them exposed to the elements once more.
A blanket of darkness has descended upon Wakiso since Sunday following heavy downpour.
“Since Sunday evening, we’ve had no power; Kyengera, Bulenga, Sentema, Bulaga, Nakabugo, Bukasa, Buloba, Temangalo… all plunged into darkness,” lamented David Ssekitoleko, a resident of Kyengera.
He further notes that they are living in fear due to the darkness, and their businesses are suffering. saying that
The silence from the UEDCL, the electricity distribution company, was deafening.
Adding that repeated attempts to reach their offices for comment were met with unanswered calls, fueling the growing frustration and anxiety.
“Are we forgotten?” questioned Aisha Namazzi, a shop owner in Bulenga.
As the rain continued to lash the region, the question on everyone’s lips was a simple yet agonizing one: when will the drainage system of the city be improved, and people occupying wetlands vacate to allow proper planning? And Bududa residents queried when the 17 million promised to them by the government for relocation would be available.
