[1] Bududa is located on the south-western slopes of Mount Elgon, approximately 35 kilometres (22 mi), by road, south-east of Mbale, the largest city in the Bugisu sub-region.

[4] Bududa Town Council sits at an average altitude of 1,300 metres (4,300 ft) above sea level, inside the Mount Elgon Range.

[6] In the 21st century, a number of factors have converged to make the town of Bududa and the surrounding countryside prone to landslides, leading to loss of life and property.

Some of those factors include the volcanic nature of the soils, the steep terrain and the high reproductive rate of the population, putting pressure on the available habitable land.

[9] Another factor in the persistence of these tragedies is the refusal of large number of residents to relocate away from the vulnerable areas due to lack of proper understanding, political influence and miscalculation.