By Chipo Brenda
Professor Mweetwa Mudenda from Lusaka Apex Medical University in Zambia has called on African governments to develop strong internal emergency plans to tackle urban stress and related disasters, instead of relying solely on foreign aid when crises strike.
Speaking during a cross-border science café, Prof. Mudenda warned that stress has become a silent killer in African cities, with devastating effects on public health and economic wellbeing.
He noted that in Zambia alone, 25% of people living in urban centres suffer from urban stress, driven by factors such as contaminated water, disease outbreaks, floods, and evictions.
“These challenges eat into people’s pockets, causing financial constraints that eventually lead to public health problems,” Prof. Mudenda emphasised.
He cited the recent cholera outbreak in 2023 and 2024, which recorded over 16,000 cases and 600 deaths, despite the country having been cholera-free for nearly 50 years. He attributed the rapid spread to delayed government response and poor preparedness.
Globally, urban stress remains a major health concern. According to SingleCare, a 2024 survey showed that 31% of adults worldwide identified stress as one of the biggest health problems.
In Uganda, similar scenarios have occurred. The most vivid example is Covid-19, alongside other disasters such as landslides in mountainous areas, floods, and forced evictions, which continue to affect human life.
These disasters are partly managed by the Office of the Prime Minister under the Department of Disaster Preparedness and Management, mandated to devise mitigation measures and respond to both natural and human-induced disasters.
Brighton Aryampa, a Ugandan climate advocate and Team Leader of Youth for Green Communities, said his organisation often offers emotional support and guidance to affected communities.
“We may not render financial support due to our limited resources, but we counsel people because in such communities, stress and depression can push them to do the unthinkable,” Aryampa explained.
He gave the example of people in the Albertine region where about 70% of the community has been affected through forceful evictions, inadequate compensation, or receiving money too little to rebuild their lives.
“We talk to them and give them hope as the government finds suitable solutions for their resettlement,” he added.
Uganda, together with countries such as Zambia, Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe, has joined hands to minimise the effects of climate change, which manifests in various forms including urban stress.
