Gov’t allocates Sh135bn to cater for hunger-stricken areas in Karamoja

KAMPALA, UGANDA: The Prime Minister of Uganda, Rt. Hon. Robinah Nabbanja has announced that the government has released Shs135 billion to cater for food among other relief items in Karamoja for the next three months.

“I want to assure you colleagues that over 200 metric tons of food has gone to Karamoja and we want to see how to secure Karamoja because as it stands now, Karamoja is still insecure,” she said adding that the allocation fund will also include seedlings for planting in the region.

Nabbanja made this revelation on Tuesday, 12 July 2022 at a sitting of Parliament chaired by Deputy Speaker, Thomas Tayebwa. She further noted that the Cabinet sitting on Monday, 11 July 2022 noted with concern the situation in Karamoja and came up with proposals to resolve the matter.

Hon. Faith Nakut, the Napak District Woman MP raised the issue that people in the Karamoja sub-region are dying of hunger caused by the bad weather that has failed agriculture.

Nakut said that although there have been responses by the Office of the Prime Minister to give food, more needs to be done.

“Unfortunately the quantity supplied were not reasonable to feed a family for a week. Each family got a kilogramme of beans and about three of posho. As we speak, there are thousands of people at risk,” Nakut said.

She added that it is shameful for an agriculture-rich country to have people dying because of a lack of food.

Iganga Municipality MP, Hon. Peter Mugema alias Panadol said that the famine is affecting people in his constituency too. “People are dying of starvation; government should take development to Karamoja,” Mugema said.

Hon. Francis Adome, the Moroto Municipality MP said the proposal to provide food to starving Ugandans is not sustainable and very expensive.

“The biggest problem I see is lack of participation between the government and leaders. Government needs to listen to us and get advice from us. Because what we are doing of taking relief is not sustainable; why can’t we mechanize agriculture for instance?” he said.

Oyam District Woman MP, Hon. Santa Alum said Lango sub-region has not been spared by the famine.
“My prayer is that the Office of the Prime Minister gives us food to address the issue in the short term; for the long term, we don’t have seeds; the seeds that we planted have all dried,” she said.

Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa tasked the Prime Minister to present a comprehensive statement on government’s strategy to resolve the food crisis not only in Karamoja but in the entire region.