Over 500 households affected by hailstorm in Rubirizi get emergency food releif

Team Hon. Arinitwe Jeniva Nalongo, the NRM flag bearer for Woman Member of Parliament in Rubirizi District, distributed over 1,500 kilograms of posho to residents in six villages: Kyema, Nyakihanda, Bugaya, Butezi, Busonga, and Butoha. Each household received 10 kilograms of posho to help them cope with immediate food shortages caused by the disaster.

While handing over the relief items at Bugaya Parish Headquarters, Hon. Nalongo encouraged residents to embrace sustainable farming practices such as mulching, afforestation, and tree planting as long-term measures to protect their gardens from future disasters. She also directed local leaders to continue registering all affected families and forward the lists to district authorities for additional support.

Hon. Nalongo further appealed to government to prioritize disaster-hit families when allocating funds under the Parish Development Model (PDM) and to strengthen community SACCOs, so that vulnerable households are not overburdened with loan repayments during recovery.

Mr. Innocent Byamukama, Chairperson and sole sponsor of Team Nalongo Jeniva, who led the delegation that delivered the food, reassured residents that the intervention was an emergency response to restore hope.

Meanwhile, local leaders led by Mr. Tugabirwe Laurance, LC1 Chairperson of Bugaya I, and Hon. Kinjinia Molly, Vice Chairperson of Magambo Sub-county, thanked Hon. Nalongo and her team for the timely intervention. They emphasized that residents had been left vulnerable after losing crops, homes, and belongings.