JANE NAFULA JINJAWhen he received news that he was among the families to vacate Kikubamutwe village along River Nile and pave way for the construction of the Bujagali Hydro Power Project, Thomas Musumba like many other affected thought that his future had hit a snag.
Mr Musumba, a peasant, could not imagine himself leaving his only home and an acre of land, the only asset he had depended to fend for his family.
His family is among the 34 families from eight villages on the West and East banks of River Nile that were resettled in Naminya when the Bujagali project started.
The villages on the West Bank that were affected by the project include Naminya, Buloba, Malindi and Kikubamutwe while those on the East Bank in Jinja district include Bujagali Ivunamba, Kyabirya and Namizi.
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| Contented: Mr Musumba outside his new home recently. Photo by Jane Nafula |
Out of the 89 households that were affected, 34 were resettled at Naminya, 50 were given building materials and land in areas of their choice while the rest opted for cash. All the families living on the resettlement land were given land titles.
Six years down the road, Mr Musumba is still a happy and contented man, who admits that their resettlement was a blessing in disguise.
“At first, I thought that these people had come to grab our land but when they compensated us and gave us permanent and spacious houses, life here became much better, compared to where we were before,” a visibly happy Musumba says.
Each family in the resettlement village was given an acre of land, a four-room house accompanied by a water reservoir and a ventilated improved pit latrine. Those who owned agricultural land within the project area were also compensated and given more land.
Ismailimail 