At least seven people have been confirmed dead and 15 others reported missing following landslides that struck parts of Kapchorwa and Bukwo districts in the Sebei Sub-region Saturday morning. The landslides, triggered by heavy rains, occurred in Kapsomu Cell, Kutung Ward in Kapchorwa Municipality, and in Kabelyo Parish, Chesower Sub-county, Bukwo District.
Martin Sakajja, the Kapchorwa Deputy Resident District Commissioner, said all seven victims in Kapchorwa were members of the same family. The deceased have been identified as Charity Chelangat, 26, a recent graduate of Nursing and Midwifery from Mulago School of Nursing and Midwifery, Scovia Chelangat, and her two toddlers, identified only as Tracy and Divine, among others.
Sakajja said the tragic incident occurred at around 5:30 a.m. after continuous heavy rainfall weakened the slopes, causing the soil to give way. A family member, Joseph Cherukut, noted that Charity had returned from her graduation ceremony with her daughter and decided to spend the night at her stepmother’s home due to the rain. Unfortunately, the landslide struck early in the morning, burying the entire family.
Cherukut added that the landslide carried large stones and eucalyptus trees that crashed through the home. He warned that a large boulder on the same hill appears unstable and could roll down again if the rains continue. In Bukwo District, four families were buried when landslides hit Kabelyo Parish in Chesower Sub-county at nearly the same time.
Fredmark Chesang, the Sipi Region Police Spokesperson, confirmed that three bodies have so far been retrieved by police and residents, while 15 people remain missing. Chesang said transport along the Kapchorwa–Bukwo road has been paralyzed after mudslides covered the same spot in Kabelyo that had been affected three days earlier. He added that livestock and crops in the affected areas have been destroyed.
Phillis Chemutai, the Woman Member of Parliament for Kapchorwa District, appealed to the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) to respond urgently with relief aid. She criticized OPM for being slow to respond to disasters in the Sebei region, citing a previous incident in September when hailstorms destroyed crops in Kapchorwa without any assistance provided.
The retrieved bodies have been taken to Chesower Health Centre and will later be transferred to Kapchorwa Hospital mortuary for postmortem examinations. These latest landslides come just days after a similar disaster in Kween and Bukwo districts, where seven people were killed after mudslides buried several homes.
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