The March to May rainy season is here. Farmers have been busy ploughing their gardens, buying seeds and farming material amid calls from the ministry of Agriculture for them to wait for the rain to begin in earnest.
But as it usually is, the commencement of the rainy season is a double-edged sword. Whereas farmers celebrate and hope for steady rainfall enough to water their gardens and grazing land, for others it means the beginning of sleepless nights.
Already eight people in Buhweju District have fallen victim of the change of season. This was after a rainstorm hit Kyesika Cell in Katara Parish, Karungu Sub-county, at the weekend, causing landslides that claimed lives and destroyed property.
The Uganda Red Cross Society has issued a warning to people staying in hilly parts, especially in western Uganda, to move to safer areas. Meanwhile in eastern Uganda, Disaster Preparedness ministry this week dispatched a team to evaluate damage caused by windstorms in Butaleja District.
Around the Lake Victoria shoreline, residents are in panic as water levels are rising again at some landing sites. The water levels had only stabilised following last year's prolonged and intense rainfall around East Africa that saw levels of water bodies go up, displacing many families in the process.
The cry by victims of these disasters is usually for relief from government. They usually accuse government of remaining silent about their plight with no meaningful support extended to them.