Govt moves to resolve Karamoja, Teso food crisis

The permanent secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), Mr Keith Muhakanizi, has said the government will direct more funding towards the hunger crisis in Karamoja and Teso regions.

 He noted that this is because the two sub-regions have over the last year suffered serious crop failure.

 He also said Kisoro District has been included since its currently facing an influx of Congolese refugees.

 “We have also already prioritised Kisoro District and we are already working with the technical team there to deal with the infrastructure where these refugees are going in schools,” Mr Muhakanizi said.

 He was addressing journalists at the OPM in Kampala on Friday.

 The acting commissioner for relief, disaster preparedness and refugees, Ms Catherine Ahimbisibwe, said government has so far dispatched about 12,000 metric tonnes of food to the districts of  Katakwi, Bukedea, Ngola, Kumi and Kapelebyong, among others.

 “We are going to continue dispatching food to all the districts in Teso and  Karamoja regions so that we save lives and improve on livelihoods,” Ms Ahimbisibwe said.

 For Kisoro, Ms Ahimbisibwe noted that OPM is working to repair and replace furniture in schools occupied by refugees.

 “In Kisoro, there was damage to furniture in about 10 schools, as well as other public health related issues and OPM has come in and  done repairs on all the damages of furniture, including the emptying the toilets,” she explained. The minister for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, Mr Hillary Onek, said reports by OPM, World Food Programme (WFP) and Forum for African Women Educationists show that the situation is Karamoja is terrible.

 “According to Infection, Prevention and Control (IPC) report, all the nines districts in the  Karamoja are facing acute food insecurity, with about 41 percent of the population (close to 500,000) facing high level of food insecurity and  unable to eat three meals a day,” Mr Onek said.

 He noted that more than 91,000  children and 9,000 expectant mothers in the area are facing malnutrition.

 The State minister for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, Ms Esther Anyakun, revealed that the country has received support for the emergence response in the country.

 “On the issues of Karamoja, the country has got a lot of support from European Union (EU). The Chinese Embassy has already given its support to WFP of about $2m,” Ms Anyakun said.

 She added that Belgium will be giving around $4m to WFP.

BACKGROUND 

Last week a section of local leaders from Teso region attributed the current food crisis in the region to last year’s crop failure as a result of bad weather. The Katakwi District chairperson, Mr Joseph Ojuman, appealed to the government to intervene.

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