Accompanied by eminent personalities, including the UNHCR Country Representative Joel Boutroue, the area woman member of parliament honorable Sarah Mateke, Commissioner for refugees Douglas Asimwe and international donors the minister visited the district Office, Bunagana border, the transit and winded up her visit at the holding area where over 17,000 refugees are being accommodated.
On arrival she flagged off a convoy relocating 246 recyclers from Nyakabande Transit center to Kyaka I, II & III, Rwamwanja and Kyangwali settlements.
She interacted with partners, the district local government and thanked them for the beautiful work they were and are still doing towards managing the influx. She joyfully admitted that the team at Nyakabande greatly supplemented her work as a minister.
“I can only imagine how you keep passing around and about with immense empathy to ensure that everything is right, I am very proud of you all.” The minister sincerely conveyed.
However she expressed her fears on a looming major epidemic outbreak if Congolese nationals kept living within the host community. She justified this by pointing out the fact that every asylum seeker at the transit center is screened for various diseases unlike the ones living among the host community.
On a good note, the minister reported that the office of the prime minister would be renovating all public infrastructure like schools and hospitals in Bunagana town council that were destroyed as a result of the influx. This was warmly welcomed by the district local government.
Nevertheless, from Nyakabande holding and transit center, the minister carried back with her challenges of insufficient water supply, an insufficient labor force, absence of a Cesspool emptier, among many others.
As she came to the end of her visit, she had an interaction with refugees at the holding center and encouraged them to embrace the idea of being relocated to settlements where there is a more comprehensive provision of education, medical and protection services to refugees.
The situation at the border points Bunagana, Busanza, Nteko remains calm with Congolese mostly attending to their routine business in DRC during the day and predominantly sleeping on the Ugandan side of the border. All new arrivals are receiving information on their rights and obligations.
Nonetheless, the transit still holds a population of 17,536 individuals being accommodated at the holding area in dire need of ceaseless assistance.