Kabale Leaders Begin Distribution of 102 Heifers to Wetland Evacuees

What the report says

Kabale district leaders have begun distributing 102 heifers to households that voluntarily left wetland areas under a Green Climate Fund-backed restoration project. According to Nile Post, the animals are part of a larger supply contract for 399 cattle meant to help affected families build alternative livelihoods after vacating wetlands.

The first handover included 27 heifers to beneficiaries in Rwenkorongo Village, Kahungye Sub-county, with the remaining 75 expected to be delivered to households in Kamuganguzi, Kyanamira and Maziba sub-counties before the end of October. Resident District Commissioner Maj. Godfrey Katamba said the deliveries were meant to address delays that had left some eligible households waiting for support and uncertain about whether they would receive it.

Kabale District Chairperson Denis Nzeirwe urged beneficiaries to treat the cattle as a long-term investment and not sell or slaughter them for immediate needs. District natural resources officer Henry said the heifers were intended for residents who had been verified as eligible after leaving wetlands in 2023 but had not received livelihood compensation at the time. He added that some households that registered in 2024 were still being considered.

The exercise was supervised by officials from the UN Development Programme and the Ministry of Local Government. More broadly, the project aims to restore degraded wetlands while giving communities income alternatives, and Nile Post said additional livelihood support worth Shs1.481 billion is being distributed to 905 households across several sub-counties.