Residents are on the brink of despair as cracks have appeared in the Kicitya rocks in Kapchorwa district of Sebei sub-region, threatening to displace dozens of households.

When a Daily Monitor reporter visited the rock in the village of Kicitya over the weekend, he saw that two huge cracks, about six metres wide, had opened in it, running from top to bottom.

The cracks split the rock, which covers about half an acre, into two large pieces, one on the left and the other on the right.
There are several villages at its foot, including Kicitya, Kaibet, Piyoswo, Kamutilai, Swesat, Cheptiwal and Ngunch. More than 300 households are at high risk.

The schools at risk are: Tumboboi Health Center III, Tumboboi Primary School, Siron Primary School, Siron Technical School, Kaptany Seed Secondary School and Tumboboi Church.

Mr Stephen Chelimo, chairman of Siron ward in Kapchorwa commune, said the cracks were initially narrow but had been widening over the past four years, raising great concerns about the building collapsing.

“We have notified our authorities about the impending disaster, but you know that our leaders prefer to react only after it has occurred,” he said.

Mr Francis Tweluk, chairman of Kicitya Village, which takes its name from the rock, said residents had asked the government to blow it up but to no avail.

“We reported it but no action was taken. We lost animals and children also got injured while trying to jump over the cracks to reach their schools,” he said.

Two years ago, sediment separated from the rock and settled about 100 meters from its original location after heavy rain. It almost destroyed houses.

Ms Joyina Yeko, a councillor representing elders in Kaptanya sub-county, said: “I grew up here. I brought my children here and they would play on this rock and we could walk safely but now we can’t because of the cracks. This rock will kill us if we don’t do anything,” Ms Yeko said.

Mr Francis Chemonges, chairman of the LCI in Sitya village, said the government should send geologists to investigate the problem before the situation worsens.

“We have lived here for centuries and have never had such sleepless nights as today, especially when it rains heavily,” he said.

Kapyanya Sub-County Chairman, Mr. Deni Soyekwo, said if the residents and leaders want government intervention,
others are resettling households in the area and also blasting rocks.

300 affected households
If this boulder were to roll, the effects of the disaster would be felt by more than 300 households in the region, including institutions such as schools, churches, crops and many others.

“We have prepared a report and held a meeting on the matter. We have made a commitment but have not taken any action. Our people need to be rescued because the rain is still falling,” Mr Soyekwo said.

Kapchorwa District Chairperson, Ms Evelyn Kubarika, said the government should expedite the relocation of residents living near the fractured rocks.

“The threat is real and immediate and if the rock falls the consequences will be catastrophic and will cause significant loss and destruction,” Ms Kubarika said last Friday.

Mr Stephen Chelimo, 64, says the rock had been there since he was born, but in the 1900s a crack began to appear.

“The crack was narrow, about 20 centimetres really. We were walking through it, but over time it started to get bigger to the point where now we can’t jump over it,” he said, adding that another crack had also appeared.

Mr. Robert Chemusto, a resident of Swesat village, one of the villages neighbouring the fractured rock, said the government should either speed up their relocation or blow up the rock.

“We live in fear because the crack is getting bigger and bigger and at any moment the rock could split even more and collapse on us,” he said.

Mrs Joan Chebet, another resident, said that sometimes they feel like their leaders do not care about them because they have been calling for help for a long time (in vain).

“We have attended several meetings and informed our leaders but we have not received any positive response. They want to hear that we are dead,” Ms Chebet said.

Mr. Rogers Tweituk, a resident of Siron ward, another village affected by the disaster, said whenever it rains, they have sleepless nights. “We are no longer calm because of the approaching disaster.”

Mr Dunstan Balaba, Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, addressing landslide victims at the Bunambutye Resettlement Centre in Bulambuli last week, said the government was committed to resettling all those at high risk in Mount Elgon.

“The Council of Ministers has directed that each household to be resettled will receive 10 million shillings in addition to the 7 million shillings provided by Direct International, meaning that each household will receive 17 million shillings,” Mr Balaba said.

The government is to resettle some 4,113 households in districts in Elgon sub-region under the cash transfer strategy, with Bududa taking over the bulk of the 1,993 households, Manafwa (894), Namisindwa (418), Sironko (455), Mbale (107), Kapchorwa (133), Bukwo (173), Bulambuli (210) and 254 in Kween.

The displaced families are expected to be given two acres of land to build houses, and the government will take care of them during a grace period of about three months.

The government had previously built a house on an acre for the victims and also provided them with two acres of land for farming. The government has been relocating landslide-prone households in Elgon sub-region since the 2010 Nametsi landslide disaster that killed more than 100 people.

Survivors of the 2010 landslide were resettled in Kiryandongo District. However, in 2019, the government acquired land for resettlement in Bulambuli.

So far, more than 5,000 families, or almost 300 people, have been relocated above our heads,” Mr Tweituk said.

Mr Backson Kusuyo, a resident of Siron Ward in Kapchorwa Municipality, said if the rock collapses, it will also destroy their livelihood. “Our crops and animals will also be killed. It will be a disaster the likes of which this country has never seen before,” he said.

Mr Tom Wandera, environmental protection officer for Butaleja district, said the cracks are caused by temperature changes or exposure of the rock to wind and rain.

“Water can get into cracks in the rock and if it freezes, the ice will expand and push the cracks apart. Over time, it will expand and at some point it will collapse,” he said.