OTUKE, UGANDA: The Office of the Prime Minister has delivered 30,000 metric tons of relief food to Otuke district as a cushion on the continued hunger that has hit residents in the region.
The area which lies on the border of the Karamoja sub-region has for years experienced unreliable rainfall punctuated with drought, floods, and hailstorms which caused insufficient agricultural production leading to food insecurity among its populace. This forced the district to seek for relief and food support from the Office of the Prime Minister.
The OPM has now dispatched 10,000 metric tons of beans and 20,000 metric tons of maize flour which have been shared among sub-counties and town councils within the district.
Ogor sub-county received 2,653 kilogrammes of maize flour and 1,306 kilogrammes of beans, 3,321 kilogrammes of maize flour and 1,645 kilogrammes of beans were sent to Ogwete sub-county, and 2,115 kilogrammes of maize flour and 1,041 kilogrammes of beans were given to Olilim sub county, while Olilim town council received 624 kilogrammes of maize flour and 307 kilogrammes of beans.
The other sub counties included Orum which received 1,629 kilogrammes of maize flour and 802 kilogrammes of beans, Otuke town council received 1,211 kilogrammes of maize flour and 596 kilogrammes of beans, Barjobi town council took 380 kilogrammes of maize flour and 187 kilogrammes of beans, and 492 kilogrammes of maize flour and 242 kilogrammes of beans for Okwongo town council among others.
Betty Apio, the district vice chairperson explains that sub-counties received an unequal share of food based on their population size and the number of beneficiaries. Area leaders have been advised to ensure that the foodstuffs reach the targeted group such as people living with HIV, Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), the elderly and child-headed families.
However, the foodstuffs are only being distributed to a specific category of people and this has angered some community members who believe that everyone should have been given something.
However, Francis Abola, the district chairperson says the relief food is enough for the targeted population and called on the beneficiaries to not only rely on donations from the government but rather plant crops now that there is rain to avert hunger in the future.
Denis Okello, a resident of Ogwete sub-county also believes that relief food will never be enough for everyone and rallies residents to focus on planting crops during the current rains instead of waiting for the government.
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