Following the devastating fire on October 25, 2024 which left one person dead and multiple homes destroyed in Kisenyi II Zone, Kamwokya II parish in Kampala Central Division, Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS) has provided critical aid to the affected households. With support from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), URCS reached 100 families with essential relief nonfood items.

The distribution event took place at Kamwokya Community Development Center, under the coordination of Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA). The distribution exercise was led by Kampala capital city Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago, and Sheila Birungi Gandi, KCCA’s Director of Gender and Community Services, representing KCCA Executive Director Frank Rusa Nyakaana. URCS Communications and Media Relations Officer John Cliff Wamala, along with KCCA Councilors Olive Namazzi and John Mary Ssebuufu, and URCS Kampala East Branch Manager Prize Tayebwa, were also in attendance, joined by URCS staff, volunteers, and area LC1 leaders.

Lord Mayor Lukwago expressed appreciation for URCS’s prompt support during disasters. “URCS has consistently been a partner of KCCA in times of need. Recently, when a garbage slide occurred in Kiteezi, Kasangati town council, URCS was one of the fast responders, even setting up an IDP camp to help displaced residents. I thank the URCS Secretary General for this ongoing support,” Lukwago said. He also pledged that KCCA would provide free medical care to the survivors and support safe resettlement plans to prevent future incidents.

KCCA’s Director for Gender and Community Services, Sheila Birungi, commended URCS for its quick response and reaffirmed KCCA’s commitment to the community. “Our focus is on emergency response and activities that support your recovery, protection, and livelihoods. URCS has been a valuable partner in these efforts, and I appreciate their leadership,” she stated.

URCS Communications Officer John Cliff Wamala highlighted the purpose of each item in the relief kit, urging recipients to use them for their intended purposes to support recovery. “Our focus was on the most vulnerable. The 100 beneficiaries were carefully selected in close coordination with LC1 leaders. Some have been sleeping on the floor at Kamwokya Research Club, so items like mats, blankets, and mosquito nets will ensure they have basic comfort,” he noted.

Each household received a relief package with essential items: 2 blankets, 2 mats, 2 tarpaulins, a kitchen set (including 2 saucepans, 6 plates, 6 cups, 6 spoons, 6 forks, and 2 serving spoons), 2 jerry cans, a solar lamp with phone-charging capabilities, 3 bars of soap, and 2 mosquito nets. URCS also committed to providing ongoing psychosocial support within the community.

The fire in Kisenyi 2 Zone tragically claimed the life of a 15-year-old student, Kiiza Melisa Catherine, of City Side School in Kyebando. Since the incident, URCS has remained active on the ground, delivering emergency medical services, search and rescue, body management, psychosocial support, coordination with partners, evacuation, and a rapid assessment report, which informed today’s aid distribution.