“I actually don’t know what the future holds, I am uncertain of what life will be from now,” says 24-year-old peasant farmer, Edrinah Ndabaruhanguza, a survivor of a violent waterspout that devastated communities in Kalangala (Ssese Island), Uganda’s largest archipelago on March 15, 2025.
Ndabaruhanguza, suffered a cracked skull during the incident. Her relatives say she was unconscious by the time they pulled her from the rubble.
Her bodily injuries are healing gradually, but the psychological scars remain apparent. She is worried about the after-effects of the incident, such as seizures or epilepsy and chronic headaches, that may occur in the long run. “I am worried whether I will fully recover,” she recounts.
Also, Wilson Musisi, 47, a peasant farmer and commercial motorcyclist (bodaboda), winces in pain on his hospital bed. He fears he may not walk again after suffering a spinal injury. Apparently, he cannot sleep due to excruciating pain and as a sole breadwinner, he can not provide for his family. “We rely on handouts from good Samaritans but how long will it last?” he wondered.
“I can barely sit, stand, or walk without assistance. It will be by God’s mercy to walk again, normally,” he explains with teary eyes. “Imagine, I am going through all this without any government support for treatment, transportation from the islands to Masaka hospital or recovery process which is costly to maintain,” he adds.
The waterspout triggered a tornado-like storm that claimed four lives including a police officer and destroyed dozens of structures including houses, shops, a disability home care centre and the main Police Station destroyed in Kizzi, Kalangala and Buggala villages.
Jamira Nakiganda sustained a spinal injury when a house collapsed on her. As a result, she developed paralysis in her. “I am now receiving physiotherapy to help regain the ability to walk again normally,” she says.
However, Gertrude Nansubuga, a midwife at Kalangala Health Centre IV, says that conditions trigger Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and depression,” she says.
Uganda, like many other countries in the Global South, continues to experience extreme weather events. Over the years, the East African country has suffered prolonged droughts, waterspouts, floods triggered by persistent torrential rainfall, landslides, frequent lightning strikes, and intense heat.
These harsh weather conditions have greatly affected rural communities where people are struggling to adapt and rebuild lives. In the aftermath of these tragic events, the critically injured may not live normal life again as they are likely to face permanent physical and mental disabilities.
However, amid all these crises, there is an often neglected issue – how climate change is consistently worsening disabilities, especially in remote communities.
These climate disasters not only displace people or destroy property, but also create new disabilities and worsen conditions of existing PWDs particularly in communities without quick emergency response and healthcare access.
According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) 2024 National Population and Housing Census report, the number of Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) increased from 4.4 million in 2014 to 5.5 million. However, there is no data-base for individuals who got permanent disabilities from climate-related events.
On April 3, 2025, one teacher died and 15 pupils were injured after lightning struck Sserinya Primary school in Nyendo-Masaka City. But another teacher – Florence Nambalirwa fears her broken leg may result in a permanent disability.
Eastern Uganda
Kalangala is not alone as several communities in Uganda’s Eastern region have battled landslides and devastating consequences.
Bududa, Sironko, Manafwa, Bulambuli, and Namisindwa districts, have experienced similar deadly landslides since 2010 leaving many people dead and dozens injured. According to UNICEF, the recent incident occurred in Bulambuli district on November 27, 2024.
The landslides triggered by heavy rainfall, buried several houses in several villages, killing at least 15 people, 24 severely injured, 40 households, 1800 displaced, and 125 others still missing. Affected villages include Buzemulili, Masoola, Masubu, Mamono, Nameche Trading Centre, and Tangalu, in Buluganya sub-county.
Apart from a few survivors with physical disabilities, so many in Bunambutye Resettlement Centre, are suffering from PTSD and mental disability.
Ibrahim Waneroba 20, a landslide survivor, is currently living with PTSD and a mental disability after a landslides event that occurred 15 years ago in Bududa. “We rushed him to hospital but he did not fully recover,” says his father Patrick Syepe.
Filis Nandutu, formally a resident of Busebangwe village, Bukalasi sub-county, Bududa district, sustained a broken foot along with severe chest, back and femur injuries during the 2010 incident and walks while limping.
However, despite receiving treatment all these years, she continues experiencing recurring chest, back and femur pain and swollen foot and can hardly move.
Jackline Nasiyo, from Bulugunya parish, Bulugunya sub-county in Bulambuli district, lost both her first born child and her mother to the November landslides. She is slowly recovering from a minor stroke, which her doctor attributes to the shock of witnessing such a tragic event.
John Sebunyo, from Masugu village in Bulugunya parish, is battling PTSD after he got buried in the same mudslides event. He sustained head and chest injuries and he is still receiving treatment due to recurring headaches and chest pain.
“I get consistent nightmares, feel like I’m going mad and always depressed,” he recounts. According to Sebunyo, it is so disturbing after watching his parents, sister, wife and his one-year-old baby buried alive.
Moses Nabugomu Wonasolo, the representative of victims in the camp explains that psychological support from NGOs like Strong Minds, has been beneficial and some people are getting better. “But some with more severe conditions may take longer to fully recover,” Wonasolo explains.
According to Julius Kidiyo, the Chairperson of the resettlement camp, most of the first settlers in the Bunambutye camp have coped well and are rebuilding their lives.
Kasese (Rwenzori Region)
In Kasese, a mountainous district in the Western region of Uganda, both mudslides and floods are the major calamities that cause new disabilities.
According to Josephat Muhindo, the Karambi Group of Persons With Disabilities (KAGPWD), they have registered several people who got permanent disabilities as a result of landslides that occurred in Ihindiro sub-county in 2020 and the following year (2021) in Karambi sub-county.
Jetress Kabuho, a resident of Bikunya village and stone minor in Karambi sub-county lost … right leg. Kabuho, was trapped inside a quarry when a rock collapsed on her left leg.
“I woke up in hospital to see my leg gone. Now I am permanently disabled because of landslides. I had so many plans but they were abruptly cut short. I thank God I am still alive,” she recounts.
Also, Edson Bwahinda, once a larges-cale banana and coffee farmer in Bubotyo village in Ihindiro sub-county, lost a leg in a landslide when a huge rock crashed it. Bwahinda, also the Bubotyo village secretary and chairperson for PWDs is unable to look after his family and relies much on his wife for survival.
“That is why climate issues need to be addressed with deeper concern. We realised the media often focuses on the dead, displaced and property destroyed but rarely highlights those who became disabled due to disasters,” he says.
Godfrey Bwambale, the Programs Manager of Karambi group, appealed to the government to always take responsibility for the injured victims by paying hospital bills, supporting them through their recovery process and planning for their long-term livelihoods.
KADUPEDI
Kasese District Association of Persons With Disabilities (KADUPEDI) an umbrella organisation of different organisations across the region is working in collaboration with the district authorities for an inclusive climate disaster response.
According to Peter Baruku, they have engaged the district local government and humanitarian organisations mainly Uganda Red Cross Society to prioritise assistive devices during evacuation of PWDs.
Baruku notes that many assistive devices are destroyed, forgotten by rescuers or lost during climate disasters, especially floods. “In most cases, rescuers evacuating PWDs forget to carry their assistive devices like clutches, wheel chairs, artificial limbs, walking canes, and others,” .
However, he says, this makes life even harder for them in evacuation sites or resettlement camps due to lack of their assistive devices,” he adds.
He further cited troubling incidents where parents and caregivers deliberately leave behind or forget children with disabilities during climate emergencies.
“In that panic, some are left alone and helpless. They get trapped, injured, or even killed by landslides, and floods. Some survive only by God’s mercy, especially those who are blind, and deaf,” he explains.
Currently, hundreds of people have been displaced by floods after River Nyamwamba burst its banks on many occasions posing recurring disasters in 2020, 2021, 2013, and 2014. It spread and devastated Base Camp Lower, Kisanga, Saluti, and Mumbuzi, all in Nyamwamba division.
However, in March 2025, the government intervened and allocated over Sh96 billion from the African Development Bank to de-silt the 25-kilometre Nyamwamba catchment area and tackle the persistent flooding that has affected the district for years.
Joseph Singoma, the Kasese District Focal Person for Disaster Management Intervention, says Kasese District is progressively aligning its District Disaster Risk Management Plan (2022–2026) with the principles of disability-inclusive disaster risk reduction (DiDRR).
He adds they have established early warning mechanisms through collaboration with the Uganda National Meteorological Authority (UNMA), the Ministry of Water and Environment, URCS, and local radio stations.
Singoma notes Kasese Hospital and St. Paul HCIV, provide initial medical care for trauma and injury cases resulting from disasters. “The district has facilitated basic rehabilitation services like physiotherapy, wound care, counselling and psycho-social support, and referrals for specialised services,” he adds.
However, Singoma explains that they face persistent constraints in collecting disaggregated data (disability, age, gender) in disaster assessments, training front-line responders on inclusive evacuation and shelter management.
“But we engage PWDs in climate vulnerability mapping through local associations, training local disaster committees to identify, map, and document households with PWDs, establish disability-inclusive shelters like the two pilot sites in Karambi, Kyalhumba with accessible ramps, lighting, and separate sanitation facilities,” he adds.
Activists, Local leaders
Activists say many climate disasters like floods, drought, earthquakes, waterspouts, and landslides often cause disabilities in quite different severity.
“Every climate disaster leaves behind new disabilities or worsens already existing disabilities due to poor disaster preparedness and response,” says Patricia Namiwanda, a blind activist in Masaka, a district in Southwestern Uganda.
In her state, she is also a victim of climate disaster after breaking her leg following a violent storm in September 2023 that struck their house. “I panicked and tried to escape, missed a step, fell and broke my leg. It took four months to recover and I still struggle to walk,” she recounts.
According to Namiwanda, the rising number of persons with disabilities often strains the existing limited budget yet individuals with special needs require more support.
Deogratias Puwata, another activist and Founding Director of Kalangala Home for Children With Special Needs, explains that the storm destroyed their classrooms, dormitory, and store, leaving them without shelter.
“Most of them escaped with minor injuries but two children were injured and still recovering. As a result, Nuwagaba is still suffering repeated migraines from the head injury while Nalwoga is slowly recuperating from a hand injury,” he recounts.
Puwata says the children are still traumatised adding that they get nightmares and start screaming. The caretakers have to calm them down and help them back to sleep. “We lack resources to provide adequate counselling for PTSD,” he explains.
Henry Lubuulwa, the Assistant Resident District Commissioner, acknowledges the gaps in disaster response planning. Instead, rely on weather forecasts from the Uganda Meteorological Authority and support from civil society and humanitarian organisations.
“We typically rely on weather forecasts to guide our emergency response unlike events like waterspouts which you can’t tell where to strike,” he explains.
Lubuulwa notes that waterspouts are common in Kalangala (Ssese island) but the recent one was unusually severe. He further blames it on unchecked deforestation for oil palm growing, which has left the land totally exposed.
“If we had dense forests maybe the waterspout might not have gained such force. But it found the land exposed hence wreaking havoc,” he explains, emphasising the need to plant more trees and recovery initiatives to support affected people.
Data Gaps, Climate Response
Richard Musisi, Executive Director of Association of Disabled Persons with HIV/AIDS/TB in Uganda (ADPHA-Uganda), a NGO operating in Greater Masaka Region, says they don’t have resources to conduct surveys about climate-induced disabilities.
Musisi argues that this would be the only way to track affected individuals and enrol them for different PWDs services. “People who became disabled during these climate disasters are not counted and their struggles will always remain unnoticed,” he states.
He pledged to integrate climate-disaster response initiatives into their programs, including safety skills and training on early warning signs to prevent multiple disabilities resulting from natural disasters.
Martin Ssenoga, the Climate Desk Manager at National Union of Disabled Persons in Uganda (NUDIPU), says tracing and documenting people who got permanent disabilities during climate disasters remains a challenge.
“Perhaps, this is something that requires serious consideration by government and humanitarian organisations,” he explains.
Ssenoga says that assistance from people with disabilities in the aftermath of the disaster always comes late. “There is a need to see disability-inclusive disaster preparedness planning for mitigation, response and recovery programs,” he adds.
Regarding the impacts of drought and malnutrition, Ssenoga explains that Persons With Disabilities as these conditions worsen their disabilities. “During drought, cases of malnutrition tend to rise in the Karamoja region, weakening the immune system and exacerbating existing impairments or disabilities,” he says.
Policy, Planning Challenges
In March 2023, the Department of Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Management, in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), in partnership with Compassion International launched a 5-year collaborative program to respond to climate disasters and emergency situations.
Rose Nakabugo, the assistant commissioner in charge of disaster management attributed the fatalities to natural and human-made calamities.
The partnership committed funds for tools and equipment to boost emergency response efforts in Uganda. A report from the disaster department, indicates over 1000 people lost their lives between January and November 2023.
When contacted, Jimmy Ogwang, the Acting Head of Department-Disaster Preparedness and Management at OPM, said the disaster department does not have a central database tracking the number of people who acquire disabilities from climate-related disasters.
Joel Kitutu, the Gender and Social Inclusive (GSI) officer at Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS), told us that, as first responders, the organisation’s mandate is limited to collecting life-saving data during climate emergencies and this is typically done within the first six hours.
According to Kitutu, they mainly focus on the number of affected households then distribute non-food item kits. “So, the detailed assessment, which may include information on injuries and permanent injuries, falls under the responsibility of District Disaster Management Committees (DMCs) and relevant ministries such as the Ministry of Gender, Labour, and Social Development,” he explains.
PWDs Parliamentary Representative
The objective of the Ministry of Disaster Preparedness and Refugees is to enhance the country’s capacity to contain, and minimise effects of disasters including floods, landslides, earthquakes, droughts, and famine.
Although recognised as essential, the inclusion of Persons With Disabilities in climate-induced disaster response programs remains slow, according to Hon. Acan Joyce Okeny, the Parliamentary Representative for PWDs.
Okeny says there is hope since a revised National Policy on Disability in Uganda (2023) was established to look at and address barriers that hinder full inclusion of PWD. However, all these programs are not without challenges.
“So many people in hard to reach areas such as Mount Elgon region, lack access to disaster preparedness training to prepare for climate induced disasters. Some lack socioeconomic support which highlight the need to invest in more inclusive disaster preparedness initiatives and recovery efforts,” she explains.
Expert on Loss and Damage fund
Fadhel Kaboub, the Associate Professor of Economics, Denison University and Author of Global South Perspectives, told us that climate disasters like floods and landslides not only destroy physical infrastructure and take human lives, but they leave many victims with lifelong physical injuries and disabilities.
According to Kaboub, this is why the loss and damage fund must dedicate specific compensations to climate victims who lost physical abilities after climate disasters.
In addition, he says, the fund must support investments that support individuals suffering from physical and mental disabilities as climate disasters damage infrastructure designed to support them and also strain public services.
“That’s why we say for Africa, climate finance is development finance, especially for people suffering from disabilities,” he adds.
Rising Numbers, More Risk
The World Bank estimates at least 200,000 Ugandans to have been affected each year by floods, landing slides, and prolonged drought in the last two decades as a result of climate-related disasters especially in areas prone to flash floods, drought, landslides, and mudslides.
An estimated 1.3 billion people, about 16% of the global population, currently experience significant disability, according to World Health Organisation (WHO). This number is increasing due to population ageing and an increase in the prevalence of noncommunicable diseases.
Disability-Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction
According to the International Disability Alliance (IDA), there is an urgent need for the recognition of an official disability constituency in the intergovernmental climate negotiation process.
At a Global Disability Summit 2025 in Berlin, Germany, experts, leaders and disability rights advocates from around the world highlighted that people with disabilities are often being left out in climate disaster response programs which has always worsened their situation. The speakers further advocated for the direct allocation of financial aid to disability groups saying it should be made easier to access.
This work was produced as a result of a grant provided by the Africa-China Reporting Project managed by the Journalism Department of the University of the Witwatersrand.
