Rising lakes leave residents stranded

While much of northern Uganda is dry and dusty, Dokolo and Amolatar districts continue to grapple with severe flooding. For three consecutive years, rising water levels in Lake Kyoga and Lake Kwania have triggered devastating floods, displacing thousands and causing widespread destruction.

Local leaders report that although water levels are gradually receding, the disaster has left many homeless and severely impacted food production, leading to food insecurity.

In Amolatar, the hardest-hit areas include Nalibwoyo, Etam, and Acii sub-counties, while in neighbouring Dokolo, Agwata Town Council, as well as Agwata, Okwongodul, Adeknino, and Adok sub-counties, remain in dire conditions.

The latest flooding began in late April 2024 when water levels in Lake Kwania surged rapidly.

Mr Fredrick Ogwal Owiny, Adeknino LC3 chairman, says the disaster has affected 2,400 households in 17 villages in the sub-county. There are 42 villages in Adeknino.

“Though the water levels have started reducing, the severe flooding has affected access to social services such as markets, schools and health centres, and impacted the livelihoods of those affected,” he says.

Official statistics from Dokolo District indicate that 15,152 households are affected and living in dire conditions.

In Agwata Town Council alone, 5,357 households have been impacted, while Kwera Sub-county continues to suffer, with at least 4,350 affected households. Agwata Sub-county has recorded 1,220 affected households, while Okwongodul and Adok sub-counties report 955 and 870 affected households, respectively.

Mr Ogwal says while food prices have remained stable, severe flooding has disrupted daily life. Pupils are struggling to access Abalang Primary School, and families with sick relatives must use boats to reach Awelo Health Centre III, as community roads have become impassable.

“Some of the displaced people are living in rented houses, while others are staying with relatives at Awelo, Tecwao, Regorego and Alik trading centres, all in Adeknino Sub-county,” he adds.

Mr Ogwal says severe flooding has damaged Komara tourism site, where Kabaka Mwanga of Buganda once settled before his capture in neighbouring Kangai Sub-county.

Kangai holds significant historical importance in Uganda. It was here, on April 9, 1899, that Kabaka Mwanga of Buganda and Omukama Kabalega of Bunyoro—two prominent 19th-century monarchs—were captured by imperial forces.

To honour their legacy, the government officially launched the construction of the Shs15 billion Dokolo Heritage Centre on February 7, 2025.

While handing over the site to the contractor, Minister of State for Tourism, Wildlife, and Antiquities, Mr Martin Bahinduka Mugarra, urged the people of Lango to embrace the project, emphasising its direct benefits to the local community.

“Many people used to visit Komara but now because of the floods, the site is now underwater,” says the Adeknino LC3 chairman.

Survivors plight

Ms Ketty Acio, 46, a resident of Akwota ‘A’ Village in Agwata Sub-county, never imagined that her home would someday become part of Lake Kwania.

Ms Acio, who derives her livelihood from agriculture, fled her home in Kachung Parish after Lake Kwania burst its banks in October 2023.

She says for years, families in Agwata Sub-county endured prolonged dry spells, struggling with food shortages, low incomes, and limited resources. Now, the floods have made survival even harder, cutting off access to health services, schools, and markets.

Ms Acio’s family is among more than 200 households affected by floods in Kachung Parish alone. Along with 70 other households, they now live in a temporary settlement at Kachung Junior School, about five kilometres from their destroyed home.

“After water from Lake Kwania flooded our homes and damaged houses and crops, we went to Kachung Junior School and pleaded with the school administration to allow us temporarily settle within the school as we wait for the water to dry up and maybe start to rebuild our homes and livelihood from scratch,” she says.

At the settlement, there is only one latrine serving the displaced population, teaching and non-teaching staff.

“We don’t have food here at the settlement. We lack bedsheets and we don’t have money for paying medical bills in case our loved ones fall sick,” Ms Acio explains.

She says in the past, they had at least three meals a day.

“We are now eating one meal a day. Before the floods, our children were very healthy but now you can see they look malnourished and they have no clothes to put on, and there are no good beddings,” she notes.

Many of the survivors now depend on handouts from friends, relatives and well-wishers.

“God has blessed me with 10 children but I fear they may all drop out of school because I am failing to buy them uniforms to study at the government-aided Kachung Primary School,” Ms Acio says.

Mr Pius Obwolo, 35, another displaced person, says: “Sometimes we trek over 7kms to cultivate people’s gardens at Agwata Forest Reserve for either money or food.”

Mr Obwolo’s wife, Ms Evelyn Akullo, 28, says five of their children dropped out of school in 2024 because they were unable to pay school fees.

Dr Rosemary Alwoc Ogwal, a resident of Adok Sub-county, says the Dokolo flood situation has reached a “critical point.”

“Beyond emergency response, the flood disaster also highlights the need for longer-term efforts to reduce vulnerability and build resilience against such extreme weather events in the future,” she says.

However, local leaders criticise the government for its slow response to the ongoing disaster, accusing it of failing to relocate affected families and provide timely relief aid to flood-stricken communities in northern Uganda.

Dokolo District chairman James Otto Apili described the government’s response as “sluggish.”

He says in an effort to support his flood-affected constituents, he distributed cassava tubers from his own garden last year. 

However, he acknowledges that the fresh cassava could only sustain the beneficiaries for a maximum of three days.

The State minister for Relief, Disaster Preparedness, and Refugees, Ms Lillian Aber, has urged patience, explaining that the government could not immediately assist Dokolo’s flood victims because it is still helping Karamoja Sub-region, which is also facing a crisis.