Chaos and Mayhem from Heavy Rains in Uganda and North Western Tanzania

On the morning of 28th August 2011 a  hurricane originating from Lake Victoria hit Bugombe and Bugarama villages of Muleba district in Kagera region Tanzania. 5 people were seriously injured, 43 houses totally destroyed and hundreds of banana and coffee farms damaged. A total of 211 people were left without shelter and are now living with relatives and friends in accomodation which is already overcrowded.

As Member of Parliament for this area, I am mobilizing emergency support to this impoverished area that was already suffering from severe food shortages because of a combination of damage from past hurricanes (3 in the last 2 years), prolonged drought, banana and cassava diseases and depletion of fish on Lake Victoria because of overfishing to supply the Fish Factories that export the fish abroad. The once affluent area has now seen a decline to become one of the poorest districts in Tanzania. Average per capita income is only USD 250 well below the national average of USD 540.

So far support has been received from the Government of Tanzania that has given emergency food relief and some household items. The biggest challenge is the reconstruction of the houses. Towards that goal, I will appreciate anyone in a position to help to do so by donating funds to the Disaster Rapid Response Youth Team supported by UN-HABITAT Youth Fund through TAWLAT and active in the area. Construction of houses using the low cosst Makiga Blocks will be given priority:

Banking Details are as follows:

Name of Beneficiary: Tanzania Women Land Access Trust (TAWLAT)
USD Dolllar Account No. 0010325010
Name of Bank: Azania Bank Limited.
Masdo Branch
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Swiftcode: AZANTZTZ
Special message: Muleba Tornado Disaster, 2011

Any assistance given, however, small will do some good. You shall be able to track on the Tawlat website whether your assitance has been received into the account and how it is being used. It is very important therefore to inform TAWLAT if you  send a donation. Otherwise contact their website operator at k.a.tibaijuka@gmail.com

With sincere thanks in advance

Prof. Anna K. Tibaijuka
Member of Parliament for Muleba South

Background:
Lying to the West of the expansive Lake Victoria, Muleba District is prone to hurricanes. In local traditional mythology, the Lord of Lords is the Ruler of the Lake, Mugasha, the spirit that visits in high speeds. Mugasha gwa Nyanja as he is known,  is a very much dreaded visitor since he has powers to destroy everything on Land! A tornado is a very rare phenomenon in Africa except in this part where it even has a name, that distinguishes it from ordinary hurricanes (kimbunga). It is called “Mushoke”.

This is part of the heavy rains in the Great Lakes region of Africa that has hit Uganda which suffered a land slides killing 43 people.

Posted by Noel Mubeya on Sep 2 2011. Filed under Constituency. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry