Kasese Guide Radio
Women embrace climate adaptation mitigation measures
13 February 2026, 7:27 pm
By Yoweri Kaguta
11th February, 2026
Kasese: In May 2013, residents of Kasese district in Uganda witnessed how floods rendered people homeless. Kasese town which is the foothill of Mount Rwenzori recorded loss of crops, animals and loss of social and physical infrastructure both private and government.
The loss at household level in a town of more than 200,000 people was huge. Scovia Mbayihana, a resident of Nyamwamba Division says the 2011 incident was regrettable and changed her thinking towards staying near the river.
“The problem of climate change crisis need to be addressed, if left unattended, food will be scarce, women will continue suffering”, said Mbayihana.
The Rwenzori region, Kasese inclusive has suffered a change in weather patterns and has resulted in aggravated occurrences of climate related extreme events such as intermittent rainfall occurrences, droughts and floods among others.
Most of the rivers in this district originate from the Rwenzori Mountains and empty their waters into the two drainage basins of Lakes George and Edward.
Kasese has experienced serious flooding due to the simultaneous bursting of the 7 rivers of Lhubiriha, Mubuku, Nyamwamba, Nyamugasani, Isebwe, Rwembyo and Thaku in Kitholhu Sub County.
The repeated floods and landslides have brought agony to the faces of many people.
Mbayihana explains that to contribute to the reduction of effects of climate change, she initiated the idea of starting Rwenzori Women save to serve, a local association which brings women together to advocate for effective adaption and copying strategies to mitigate foreseen consequences of climate change on social, economic and the general community livelihood supports.
The association has so far registered twelve rural women who are currently running a nursery bed with a variety of tree species at along Kasese-Fort-portal Highway in Nyakasanga cell, Nyamwamba Division.
“When it is rainy season, we are able to sell at least 10,000 trees daily. We are cognizant that the temperature of our district will not be same in the next ten years, we need more support.
Mbayihana said. As Mbayihana looks forward to advance her plans adaptation measures, there are new changes with heavier downpours and big temperature swings, while erratic temperatures sometimes stress plants and disrupt typical growing seasons.
Mr. Joseph, Singoma, who is the District Disaster Management Committee Focal Person, also regrets that more than 5,000 acres of crop fields have been destroyed since 2011.
When Kasese Guide Radio asked for how much has been destroyed in monetary terms, Singoma replied on February 11th that the money at a tune of shillings 60 billion has been wasted.
And shillings 60 billion has been shattered due to disasters in the district.
Over the past few years, environmental issues have slowly receded from the global agenda. Many countries are now rolling back climate measures in order to focus on economic growth or rearmament.
In 2015, the then head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis reignited the Catholic Environmental activism when he wrote Laudato Si, his second encyclical letter subtitled “On care for our common home”.
Pope Francis laments environmental degradation and global warming and calls all people of the world to take shift and unfold global action through tree planting and caring for our mother earth.
To localize the pope’s message, the Bishop of Diocese of Kasese, the Rt. Rev. Francis Acquirinus Kibira Kambale urges the public and the ambassadors of the environment to not only popularize the pope’s encyclical letter “Laudato Si” but also to get involved in its implementation.
The Bishop says the current trend of changes in environment, planting trees is the way to go. As the Ordinary of Kasese, Bishop Kibira has since prioritized tree growing campaign across all 15 parishes.
Building resilience
The Food and Agriculture Organization [FAO], in partnering with the Ministry of Water and Environment in February, 2026 upgraded the local weather station at the district headquarters at Rukooki.
The upgrade brings in new machinery to enhance weather forecasting, enabling the district disaster committee chaired by the district Chief Administrative Officer-CAO to receive timely and accurate weather information.
Sharon Kabugho, the district Information Officer says “with the advanced weather systems, we’ll be better equipped to prepare for and respond to weather-related events, untimely supporting of our farmers and communities”.
Mbayihana and her husband says the nursery bed has been helpful to her and the entire population because the trees bought at the site have been planted on people’s pieces of land not only in Kasese but in other neighboring areas like Bunyangabu and Rubirizi districts.
“You think our trees are sold only in Kasese? No. We have received people from areas like Bunyangabu and Rubirizi coming to get trees here, we have contributed to the fresh air you enjoying”, Mbayihana added.
Mr. Samson Muhindo Nzoboli, an environmentalist has greened Buhukira Royal Hill overlooking Kasese town in a campaign that started in 2020.
He said the hilltops had in the past been used for sand quarrying and crops could not do well.
“You cannot have fields doing well on hilltop, an area exposed to soil erosion, it is very vulnerable”, Muhindo said.
Taking an aerial view of the area, water erosion had washed away soil, leaving behind open gullies-steep sided channels on the hill slopes.
Muhindo’s motivation to protect and restore the soils is one the reasons they are transitioning the area into agroforestry with rows of natural and medicinal trees.
Muhindo and Mbayihana want to participate in the Climate Adaptation Mitigation Fellowship, a peer-to-pear learning program.
Dr. Joseph Katswera, Kasese District Natural Officer said that one of the aims is to have a network of farmers who understand climate change and the effects on crops and water production.