Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago marked Labour Day in Ndeeba on Thursday in solidarity with timber traders who lost property worth billions of shillings in a massive fire on April 27.
The fire, which gutted the city’s largest timber hub, left scores of traders counting losses and struggling to recover. Lukwago visited the scene and called on government to investigate the recurring, unexplained fire outbreaks in the area.
He urged the Ministry of Disaster Preparedness to decentralize and institutionalize its operations at sub-national levels to improve emergency response capacity.
Lukwago also revealed that Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) is working on a comprehensive disaster recovery plan aimed at boosting the city’s resilience to fire and other disasters.
Calling on the Office of the Prime Minister to support the affected traders, the Lord Mayor personally donated Shs 2 million to assist recovery efforts. He pledged to follow up on unresolved issues facing the traders.
The cause of the April 27 fire remains under investigation.