“Dire Situations”, How Aid is to be Apportioned in Karamoja Hunger Response

By John Dibaba
Kacheri is the most hit by Karamoja hunger. Statistics from Kotido district local government shows that Kacheri Sub County in Kotido district recorded 336 deaths, followed by Nakapelimoru with 88 deaths. In an interview with Daily Monitor, Paul Lote, Kotido district chairman, said their records shows that 626 people have died due to starvation. “The most affected people are the elderly, HIV clients and Tuberculosis patients,” Lote Said.

Civil society in the country have called for increased funding, planning and coordination in the agriculture sector to eliminate incidents of hunger, calling the situation in Karamoja embarrassing. Different NGOs are also warning that the level of food insecurity in the country is a recipe for social discomfort, which the government should avoid.  The food shortage in the region has been attributed to the highly inadequate rains first season of this year, that came late and ended abruptly, being replaced by very dry conditions, and in turn poor or no harvests in some areas.

Richard Henry Kimera, the Executive Director, Consumer Education Trust puts the blame squarely on the political leadership for doing too little in the wake of such an emergency, urging the president to take command of the situation personally. Jane Nalunga, the Executive Director of trade rights group SEATINI – Uganda says wastage is not only in the production sector, but also in the way government says even when resources are available they are allocated to areas which are not most in need of them.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a global food security monitoring system, warned earlier this year that the Karamoja region was classified in Phase 3 crisis, with about 41 percent of the population facing high levels of acute food insecurity between March and July 2022.