By Ben Musanje
The Office of the Prime Minister has developed an El Niño contingency and response plan as Uganda prepares for above-normal rains expected between September and December, with wetter conditions potentially extending into January and February 2027.
The plan, developed through the Department of Disaster Preparedness and Management, is intended to guide government’s response to hazards that could accompany the expected rains, including flash floods, severe storms, landslides, waterlogging, infrastructure damage and disease outbreaks.
Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, Alex Kakooza, said the plan will soon be presented to Cabinet for consideration when its sessions resume.
“During this period, most parts of Uganda are expected to receive above normal rains and wetter conditions are likely to spill over into the normally dry month of January and February of next year,” Kakooza said during a press conference at the Office of the Prime Minister in Kampala.
The government has also stepped up public awareness, with OPM developing and disseminating early-warning messages through mainstream media and social media platforms, including UBC TV and its own communication channels.
The warnings have been translated into Swahili and local languages, with flyers already produced in Swahili and Rwanda and distributed to communities.
The Ministry of Local Government has separately circulated the September-December 2026 rainfall forecast to districts and urban authorities, which have been directed to pass the information on to communities.
High-risk regions targeted
Government preparations are focusing particularly on areas historically vulnerable to floods and landslides.
Kakooza said the World Food Programme has supported regional downscaling and advisory workshops in Karamoja, Elgon and Teso sub-regions.
In the South-West, preparations covering Bundibugyo, Kasese, Ntoroko and Kisoro are scheduled for the first week of October.
“These are mainly those areas that are traditionally prone either to floods or landslides,” Kakooza said.
The OPM is also urging people living in areas already identified as high-risk to relocate to safer locations before the onset of potentially destructive events.
In the Elgon sub-region, where some communities live in areas already categorised as risky, authorities are encouraging residents to move to safer areas as a precaution against possible landslides.
Government prepares for disruptions
The contingency planning goes beyond emergency rescue operations, with government departments being asked to prepare for possible disruptions to essential services.
Kakooza said the OPM is working with the Ministry of Education to prepare for the examination period, including planning for UNEB examinations, technical and business institution examinations and university activities should heavy rains disrupt transport and access to learning institutions.
The government is also preparing for continuity of learning for students who are not sitting examinations.
Transport infrastructure is another concern, as heavy rains could cut off some communities when roads and bridges are damaged or flooded.
“We know, when the rains come, some parts are cut off. How do we plan?” Kakooza said, explaining that roads and other critical sectors form part of the comprehensive preparedness plan.
The OPM is also calling for early movement of people from danger zones and strategic stocking of food and other essential supplies in safer locations.
The preparations come after government weather authorities warned in August that an El Niño climate event could affect Uganda during the second half of 2026 and potentially persist into 2027, raising concerns over increased rainfall and flooding in vulnerable areas.
El Niño is a naturally occurring climate pattern associated with unusually warm ocean temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific. It can alter global weather patterns, producing wetter-than-normal conditions in some regions and drier conditions in others.
The World Meteorological Organization has warned that several parts of the world, including areas of the Greater Horn of Africa, could experience wetter-than-normal conditions during an El Niño event.
For Uganda, the OPM says preparedness is therefore being prioritised before the rains intensify, with the government contingency plan expected to provide a framework for coordinating warnings, evacuations, food supplies, infrastructure protection and continuity of essential services. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
