Govt starts giving food aid to communities, schools

What you need to know:

  • Ongoing. The exercise kicked off yesterday, starting with worst affected sub-counties in Katakwi, Amuria, Soroti and Kaberamaido districts.

Kampala.

The government has released a plan for emergency food distribution to distressed communities and schools across the county.

According to the plan presented to Parliament by Mr Hilary Onek, the Minister for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, the supply of food relief kicked off yesterday, starting with worst affected sub-counties in Katakwi, Amuria, Soroti and Kaberamaido districts.

Katakwi District will receive 3,500 bags of maize flour of 100kgs each, 600 bags of beans each of 100kgs and 300 bags of rice each weighing 50kgs, while Amuru District will receive 3,300 bags of maize flour, 600 bags of beans and 300 bags of rice.

The relief
“The Office of the Prime minister (OPM) has managed to reach 197 destinations in 74 districts with 33,360 bags of 100kgs of maize flour, 8,781 bags of 100kgs of beans and 38,370 bags of 50kgs of rice,” Mr Onek said.

He said about 3,336 metric tonnes of maize flour, 1,918.5 metric tonnes of rice and 876.1 metric tonnes of rice have so far been distributed.

Deliveries of the relief food items to the southern Teso districts of Bukedea, Kumi, Ngora, and Serere, and to the districts of Alebtong, Amolatar, Apac, Dokolo, Kole, Lira, Oyam and Otuke in Lango sub-region, all commenced yesterday.

“Inspite of all the above efforts, the population facing food crisis has increased from 3.5 million people in February to 5.5 million today,” Mr Onek added.

However, he said with the coming rains, these numbers of people affected by food shortages would considerably drop by end of May when the quick-maturing crops get harvested.

“The rainy season has begun in most parts of the country, with the exception of the sub-regions of Karamoja, Teso, parts of Lango, parts of Bukedi and parts of Acholi,” he said.

Mr Onek also told Parliament that the hunger situation is being felt in all districts of the country after a prolonged drought.
“The increased stress is not because the drought is intensifying, it is because the country is going through the planting phase of the food production cycle, which is referred to as the lean-period and is always short-lived,” Mr Onek explained.

Despite what had earlier been circulated on social media indicating that food relief was going to non-hunger-hit districts; the distribution plan indicates that larger amounts will go to famine-stricken districts.

Mr Onek said the food relief items include about 5,893 metric tonnes of rice provided by the government of China to help the country respond to the hunger situation.
Mr Martin Owor, the commissioner relief, disaster preparedness and management in the OPM, said the rice donation from China has been evenly distributed across the country to cater for both the urban and rural poor.

Schools
The distribution plan also caters for vulnerable primary and secondary schools identified by the district education committees across the country, with each district receiving 300 bags of rice for primary schools and another 300 bags for secondary schools.

The OPM currently has 21,740 bags of beans, 3,0974.5 metric tonnes of rice and 3,239 bags of beans in its stores.
However, Mr Onek said his ministry would need another Shs123 billion to feed the 5.5 million people facing food shortages for the next one and half months, and another Shs50 billion should the situation persist up to the end of May.