U.S aid freeze piles suffering in Uganda’s north

A move by US President Donald Trump to halt foreign has piled suffering in Uganda’s north, stakeholders and observers said on Wednesday.

The Trump administration January 20 issued a memo pausing potentially trillions of dollars in federal aid, sowing chaos and stirring fears that it would disrupt thousands of federal grant programs that benefit African countries including Uganda.

For instance, a Monitor survey shows dozens of aid workers have withdrawn from various health facilities across Lango the Sub-region in northern Uganda, following Trump’s executive order suspending implementation of United States Agency for International Development (USAID) programmes.

While a ban on HIV funding is said to have been waived, other life-changing programmes that millions of Ugandans depend on for their wellbeing and livelihoods have remained frozen.

“The abrupt order has already done serious damage in both education and health sectors, with supply chains halted, and health facilities struggling with shortage of personnel,” Northern Uganda leaders who spoke to Monitor said.

 “I wish this decision is reversed so that we can help so many children who will be affected negatively by this suspension. I pray something is done because so many of them will drop out of school,” Sam Opira, the Apac District secretary for education and health in the Lango Sub-region said

Opira said foreign aid has always been crucial in the struggle towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development target 3.3 on ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030.

“I also know these monies were helping us in addressing education needs of children, especially the vulnerable ones. Now that the funding has been suspended, I know several children will now not have access to education and this is a very big minus not just for us as Apac District but also as Lango and Uganda,” Opira said.

Lira District youth chairperson Sodrick Ogwang noted that “the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) insurgency exposed northerners to vulnerability with tens of thousands already suffering and struggling to recover from effects of a damaging two-decade war.  

“Most families cannot even afford to have two meals in a day and were relying on aid to eat a meal and educate children,” he said.

Amolatar Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Francis Okello Odoki Rwotlonyo said the withdrawal of U.S from United Nation agencies such as the World Health Organization (WHO) dents efforts aimed at disease control.

“But I have faith that as a government we are not giving up in ensuring that we fight malaria to zero,” he added.

He adds: “We are going to work jointly to ensure that we reduce the gaps that may have come as a result of the sudden development.”

Other leaders warn that the freezing of USAID programmes in Uganda means “life and death”.

“We have a programme for feeding the children in various schools. Now with the suspension of this aid, our children are going to go hungry. You can imagine a child coming to school at 8am in the morning and leaving at 4pm or 5pm on an empty stomach!” said Lira City Council Speaker Patrick Okwir remarked.

He added: “Such a child will not even have the energy to even look at the teacher, such a child will not have the energy to comprehend what the teacher is saying; such a child is even prone to falling sick.”

Brian Oguti, the Oyam District secretary for Works, said USAID has been supporting them in the battle against HIV/AIDS, by procuring drugs and supplying to health units.

“The beneficiaries will now have a lot of challenges in accessing specialised care and treatment and that will lead to death; and then suffering in our community,” he lamented.

He added: “My humble request is that people work together and find a way of dialoguing to ensure that the aid given to Uganda is actually put to good use.”

 Joy for Children (Uganda (JFCU), a Kampala-based child rights not-for-profit organisation, warned that the absence of US endangers livelihoods.

“As one of the largest donors for humanitarian and development aid, the US plays a crucial role in addressing critical needs,” JFCU executive director Moses Ntenga said in a statement on January 29, 2025.

He added: “In light of this, there is an urgent need to identify alternative funding sources to bridge the gap in essential sectors like health, education, and development assistance for the millions of people globally affected by this decision.”