Hunting rats fuels wildfires, hunger in Karamoja region

As granaries turn to ashes, the people of Karamoja face a humanitarian crisis. The loss of everything, from food to shelter, has left Karamoja’s people grappling with the cruel uncertainty of how they will survive in the coming days.

Wildfires, sparked by a series of unfortunate incidents, have only worsened an already dire situation.

At 72, Makone Napeyok’s hands tremble, not from the weight of age, but from the exhaustion of trying to survive. The grandmother of ten, who has spent a lifetime raising children and tending to her extended family, now finds herself with nothing to give but hope. On December 28, 2024, a fire tore through her home in Lonangat village, Lorengedwat sub-county in Nabilatuk district, leaving nothing but ashes in its wake. In a few hours, the fire claimed her food reserves and sense of security.

“I am not sure where the fire started, but it found me inside my house. It was around 11 am. When I stepped outside, I saw flames raging in the neighborhood, and some of them had already reached my house. The fire was spreading fast, and it nearly burned my grandchildren. I rushed to rescue them, but there was nothing I could do to save our property,” she narrates.

Napeyok and her grandchildren are now homeless. They wander from one homestead to another, hoping for a roof over their heads.

“During the day, we return to the ruins of our home and try to rebuild what we can. But at night, we have to look for shelter. If people in one homestead tell me they do not have space, I walk on to the next homestead. If we fail to find shelter, we sleep out, in the cold,” she says.

The situation is dire for the elderly grandmother because she lost the cowhide she used as a mattress, and her beddings were burnt.

“I call on the government to help us build a shelter. Yes, the hunger is too much, but getting shelter is paramount,” she pleads.

Emmanuel Longes Lorika, the LCIII chairperson of Lorengedwat sub-county, says the fire, which began in the eastern part of the village, affected 186 households, leaving over 1,100 people stranded.

“The grass had grown so long because our cattle were stolen during the raids. The wildfire is suspected to have been caused by rat hunters. These young boys are ignorant about the environment. But currently, we are sensitising the community on how to avoid these kinds of disasters,” he says.

In Karamoja, it is common for a single homestead to house over 20 people. Many of the affected families are now seeking refuge with relatives, while those who are in the worst condition have started the difficult process of rebuilding their homes.

“On the day the (Uganda) Red Cross (Society) came to rescue the affected people with non-food relief items on January 2, another fire was started in the trading centre by the same young boys. Those who had received money from the Parish Development Model (PDM) lost it because they kept it in the grass thatched roofs of their houses. All the food in the granaries was destroyed,” Lorika says.

He called on the government and aid partners to intervene, saying the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) offered the affected families some relief items. According to the URCS, devastating wildfires in Nabilatuk district destroyed 224 homes, leaving 1,014 people homeless.

Disaster replicated in Kotido

In Kotido district, wildfires are more frequent and intense, particularly during the dry season when windy conditions are conducive to the rapid spread of the flames. The fires have affected more than 500 people, with communities that were already grappling with hunger and poverty now facing the added burden of homelessness.

The fires have ravaged several villages across the six sub-counties of Kotido West Division, Rengine sub-county, Panyangara sub-county, Napumpum sub-county, Nakapelimoru sub-county, and Kanair sub-county. Over 60 homesteads have been burned to the ground.

Peter Lonya, the LCIII chairperson of Kotido West Division, notes the scale of the devastation, particularly in Lokochil, Naoyankitoe, Tesio, and Loletkoyan villages.

“Sometimes, when parents leave their children alone at home, and because we had a poor harvest, the children always go out to hunt for bush rats to eat. They light fires in the bush to push out the rats and because of the wind, the flames travel to the homesteads,” he says.

Lonya adds that his team is now sensitising parents to leave the home only after preparing porridge for their children to ensure that they are not tempted to go out looking for bush meat.

A call to help

For the people of Karamoja, hunger and fire have become intertwined enemies. The aftermath of these fires is not just the physical loss of homes and food but the emotional toll it takes on families who are left to pick up the pieces. Elderly women like Napeyok, who have lived through decades of hardship, now face the daunting task of rebuilding their lives from nothing.

“It takes years for families to accumulate enough to survive a lean season. As an elderly grandmother, it is difficult to endure such hardships, especially with my grandchildren depending on me. Our lives have been turned upside down,” Napeyok says.

Local leaders echo these sentiments, stressing the interconnected nature of the region’s challenges. Some of the affected people have migrated to neighbouring districts in search of food, while others are dependent on the charity of community members who are also struggling to meet their own needs.

In response to the crisis, the government and humanitarian organisations have been mobilised to provide aid to the affected communities. Paul Komol Lotee, the LCV chairperson of Kotido district, says relief efforts have been initiated by the OPM, URCS, and other organisations, but these efforts remain insufficient given the scale of the damage.

“I have been carrying out radio talk shows with the resident district commissioner and the regional police commander to sensitise our people. My message to the government is that it should address the issue of hunger in the region,” he says.

The dry season in Karamoja lasts from December to March. The combination of wildfires and food insecurity paints a bleak picture of the sub-region’s future. As the embers die down, the affected people now have to face a future fraught with uncertainty.

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