Kisenyi fire victims seek govt bailout
Some of the makeshift structures set up by traders following the fire in Kisenyi, Kampala, on February 16, 2023. PHOTO/ISAAC KASAMANI
What you need to know:
- Ms Eva Nankunda, who said her restaurant was burnt to ashes, asked government to help them move from wooden structures to permanent ones
- Mr Wilson Barigeya, another trader, also called on the government to come to their rescue like it usually does for disaster stricken citizens.
Victims of the Monday fire in Kiganda Zone, Kisenyi II Parish in Kampala Central Division have appealed to the government for financial assistance.
The early morning fire destroyed property worth millions of shillings, including maize mills and poultry feed stores.
But the affected traders, who spoke to this newspaper yesterday, accused the government of not showing any concern about their plight.
Ms Eva Nankunda, who said her restaurant was burnt to ashes, asked government to help them move from wooden structures to permanent ones.
“I am asking our immediate leaders to find a way to talk to the government since it’s very hard for a mere citizen like me to reach the President. Our children are still at home as we can’t afford to take them back to school at the moment,” she said.
Ms Nankunda said she is now struggling to get back to her feet.
“I lost capital worth Shs4 million. I haven’t been able to replace everything even though I have started putting back my structure. No leader has come out to give us aid, we are surviving through friends and relatives,” she said.
She added: “It is friends and relatives that send me small amounts such as Shs100,000 and it’s what I am using to rebuild my structure. That is why I am seeking help from the government.”
Mr Wilson Barigeya, another trader, also called on the government to come to their rescue like it usually does for disaster stricken citizens.
“They gave financial aid to the Freedom City victims, Bududa mudslide victims and Mbale floods victims, why not us? We are Ugandans,” Mr Barigeya said. “I had two machines for grinding maize and millet. I also had a stock of about 24 tonnes of maize, when the fire broke out, I didn’t save anything. We are praying for the government to come to our aid. They should at least give us whatever they can to start up once again. I lost about Shs38 million in this fire,” he said.
Mr Edrine Wasswa, another fire victim, said the only thing he remained with were the clothes he was wearing.
“All my household items got burnt because I am an old man, with little energy, so I couldn’t save anything apart from myself. I call upon the government to give us relief items because we are suffering,” Mr Wasswa said.
Mr Godfrey Kakande, the chairperson of the affected area, early this week said the rampant fires could be started by arsonists who are interested in grabbing the land.
Efforts to speak to Dr Chris Baryomunsi, the Information minister, were futile by press time as he could neither answer our repeated calls nor reply to our WhatsApp messages.
In January 2022, the fire burnt about 45 maize mills in the same area. In June 2017, another fire outbreak in the same area destroyed property worth millions of shillings.
