Hanifa Nassuna was among the hundreds of people who lost property in a fire five days ago that ravaged Koome Island. The mother of four said they couldn’t save anything due to the strong winds that fanned the blaze. “All the shops were gutted. This nightdress is all I have.” “We tried to salvage the motorboat engines in our garage but couldn’t. We lost 214 of them.”
The 75-acre Island had a population of over 6,000 inhabitants who largely depended on fishing. Even as Hanifa and other residents counted the cost of the blaze, the immediate concern was the inadequate sanitation facilities to accommodate those displaced. “This Island has only one latrine for the entire population here. We have no access to treatment as our health facilities were burned down. We urgently need help.” This water pump has been supplying clean and safe water to over 6,000 people who live on this Island but now that it was gutted by fire, there was fear among members of the community that an outbreak of cholera could occur at any time.
The State Minister for Disaster Preparedness Musa Ecweru visited the Island to assess the damage. Ecweru assured the residents of the Island of the government’s commitment to addressing their plight. “So as the government we were able to deploy immediately some intervention but really that is first line intervention; just a bit of food, some few blankets, a few tapplins and a few mosquito nets. I’m also happy that as I was coming, we delivered more but even that is still a drop in the ocean.” Said, Musa Ecweru – State Minister for Disaster Preparedness.
The District Chairperson of Mukono Abdul Karim appealed to the government to provide support to the Savings and Cooperative Organization for the Island’s business community. “We have been calling it the capital city of Koome where we have seen that most of the big businesses even all the local revenue among all the Islands have been getting it from here.” Said, Abdul Karim – Chairman, Mukono District. As residents rebuild their lives, the Police cautioned against using tarpaulins and other inflammable materials to construct structures.
