Rising Kyoga, Kwania waters cut off 3,000 households, MPs demand action

31 August 2026, 3:08 pm

By Ambrose Okwanga

Rising water levels in Lakes Kyoga and Kwania have cut off more than 3,000 households in Amolatar District, with Members of Parliament now demanding urgent government intervention.Kyoga County North MP Geoffrey Ocen Kiring says the water levels of the two lakes have continued to rise significantly since 2022, even during the dry season.

Ocen made the remarks on August 29, 2026, during a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Climate Change at Acii Primary School in Acii Sub-county, Amolatar District.He says the rising water levels have flooded farmland, displaced families and disrupted access to essential services, including health centres, schools and markets.

Ocen is also calling for urgent government intervention to construct the road through Ocomboli Swamp, connecting Acii to Muchora Parish.The road has been submerged by floodwaters, cutting off eight villages with more than 3,000 households from the mainland.

Kyoga County MP Coline Angwech has urged the Parliamentary Committee on Climate Change to present the challenges facing flood-affected communities in Amolatar to Parliament.Angwech says the flooding is a matter of national importance and should be treated with urgency.

She wants Parliament to take the initiative in influencing government to respond to the concerns of the affected communities.

Amolatar District Woman MP Janet Auma Okao says residents of Muchora Parish have not received adequate government support despite repeated appeals by local leaders over the past five years.

Meanwhile, Amolatar District Chairperson Morish Ogwal Omara says the magnitude of the flooding is beyond the capacity of the district and requires direct intervention from the central government.

Ogwal has also asked the parliamentary committee to follow up on the construction of a dam in Orimai Cell, Amolatar Town Council.He says government, through the Ministry of Water and Environment, has invested more than 600 million shillings in the project, which remains incomplete.

Dokolo North MP Joseph Jones Ogwal has called on the three Amolatar MPs to consider drafting a joint motion to present the flooding challenges before Parliament.He says communities in Bata Island in Dokolo District are facing a similar situation after being cut off by floods.

The Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Climate Change, Aggrey Bagiire, who is also the MP for Bunya West, has pledged to present the concerns raised by the MPs and local leaders to Parliament for consideration and possible government intervention.