Starving residents flee Kotido in search of food
Residents of Kotido District wait at the bus park for transport to flee to the neighboring districts. Photos/Herbert Kamoga
What you need to know:
- The Karamoja sub-region has a semi-arid climate with high temperatures often leading to droughts that hinder agricultural and pastoral livelihoods. The rainfall patterns are unpredictable, with only one rainy season followed by long dry spells. Climate change has intensified these challenges, with several people choosing to leave some districts in search of food and work as Herbert Kamoga & Kenneth Odele report.
At the Kotido bus park, dozens of families clutch onto their belongings, waiting for transport to take them to districts where they hope to find food. Mothers hold onto their children tightly, their faces etched with the deep lines of desperation.
Men, weary from hunger, struggle to lift bags that contain the few possessions they have. They wait for the few Gateway buses that ply out of the district with several seeking free transport or a subsidised fare to enable them to escape.
Others board lorries, while some others attempt the over-a hundred-kilometer journey trek to either the Teso or Lango sub-regions. For many, this journey is not one of choice, but survival. “We are not leaving because we want to. We are leaving because hunger is chasing us away. If we stay, we will starve.
Maybe in another district, we can find work food and work,” says Lorot Nakiru, a mother of three, as she gestures toward a tattered bag holding all she owns.
A severe famine is forcing residents in the Karamoja sub-region to flee their homes in search of food, highlighting a crisis exacerbated by unpredictable weather, poor harvests, and alleged corruption surrounding vital water infrastructure projects.
The situation is particularly dire in Kotido district, with leaders struggling to cope with the overwhelming needs of their communities, according to Paul Komol, the LCV Chairperson.
“This morning, over 60 people come to my residence, begging for food. Can you imagine? That is how desperate the situation is. I went to visit the Member of Parliament but when I reached his gate, I turned back. There were so many people standing there, in need of food,” he laments.
Komol adds that in the sub-region, when people have nothing to eat, they turn to their leaders for help. He says this has ensured that the leaders in Karamoja are more stressed than those in other parts of the country.
“As the LCV Chairperson, I earn a salary of Shs1.7 million. I have the good intention to feed my people, but can that salary rescue everyone? It can only buy five bags of dry beans. When hungry women come to me, I give them a little money and advise them to buy local brew. My wife gives them salt,” he explains.
The crisis is forcing residents to provide labour in the neighboring districts of Agago, Otuke, Alebtong, Kitgum, Abim, Kapelebyong, and Amuria, where they exchange their toil for sorghum or beans. “Our weather is unpredictable.
Only a few sub-counties had a decent harvest last year. The southern and some northern parts of the district did not harvest anything significant. The people leaving the district are from those areas. We have written to the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) to deliver something to us,” Komol adds.
Compounding the problem is the tendency of some farmers to sell off their food immediately after harvest, often using the proceeds on non-essential expenditures, including alcohol consumption.
Charles Ichogor, Kotido’s resident district commissioner (RDC), notes that while the Parish Development Model (PDM) has had a positive impact, poor food management practices have contributed to the current crisis.
“Last year, despite the challenges of erratic weather, we had a bumper harvest of sorghum in some parts of the district. However, many farmers, after harvesting, sold off their food in large quantities and this has resulted in a looming famine,” he says.
He adds that the government has initiated mass awareness and sensitisation efforts to educate people on food security and encourage them to reserve food for their households.
Residents of Kotido District wait at the bus park for transport to flee hunger.
Possible solutions
The situation is slightly different in Abim district, which usually becomes a refuge for people fleeing Kotido in search of food and pasture.
“We need to put up major valley dams so that we can resort to large-scale irrigation during the dry season. We should also give the people early-maturing seeds because the rains are unpredictable in this area. If we start planting now, we will harvest our crop by July,” Komol advises.
Early-maturing seed varieties are ideal for areas with unpredictable weather patterns, have drought tolerance, and have shorter maturity periods.
Earnest Ayen, the Abim district’s youth chairperson, says instead of food distribution from the OPM, the sub-region needs long-term interventions to fight hunger.
“Infrastructure setbacks, especially incomplete valley dam projects, have played a role in worsening the food insecurity. The government has repeatedly promised to improve water for production in Karamoja, but many of these promises have not been fulfilled,” he reveals.
Ayen adds that the government commissioned the construction of a dam at Shs3.7billion.
However, the construction did not go beyond the groundbreaking ceremony because the government failed to compensate the owners of the land with Shs300,000.
Without access to irrigation, farmers are entirely dependent on rainfall, making them vulnerable to droughts.
“An investigation needs to be carried out about the amount of money the government is sinking into the construction of dams in Karamoja. It is one of the corruption scandals in the region. If the money has been approved and the dams are not being constructed, where is the problem?” Ayen asks.
The hunger crisis in Karamoja has profoundly impacted children in the region, leading to alarming malnutrition rates.
One of the few water sources in Kotido District.
According to the latest Nutrition Situation Report released by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) last December, Karamoja continues to record the highest levels of stunting and wasting in the country.
Currently, 32.4 percent of children in the region are underweight, while stunting rates stand at an alarming 44 percent—far exceeding the national average of 26 percent. Additionally, approximately 112,270 children in Karamoja are either facing or expected to suffer from acute malnutrition. Malnutrition encompasses deficiencies, excesses, or imbalances in a person's intake of energy and nutrients. In Karamoja, the primary concern is undernutrition, which includes stunting (low height for age), wasting (low weight for height), and underweight (low weight for age). These conditions are directly linked to chronic hunger and inadequate dietary intake. Persistent food insecurity in the region has led to insufficient consumption of essential nutrients, impairing children's growth and development.
Additionally, a significant portion of the population experiences deficiencies in vital micronutrients such as iron, vitamin A, and iodine, leading to anemia and other health complications.
Mario Mark Longwang, the chairperson of the G.S. Students and Teachers' Association, emphasises the role of education in tackling food insecurity.
“People have not been educated and sensitised about how food should be kept to last the dry season. The people leaving the district are women and youth, who are key in agricultural production. This issue should be echoed at the national level so that a solution can be found,” he explains. The Food and Nutrition Bill, currently under consideration by Parliament, aims to address food insecurity and malnutrition through comprehensive strategies. One of its key provisions is the establishment of a National Food and Nutrition Council, which would coordinate efforts to ensure food security and promote nutritional health across the country.
The bill also emphasises the promotion of sustainable agricultural practices, encouraging the adoption of farming methods that increase food production while preserving environmental resources.
The semi-arid climate in Kotido district makes it difficult to plant crops.
Furthermore, it calls for the implementation of nutrition education programs to raise awareness about balanced diets and proper feeding practices, particularly targeting vulnerable populations. With Karamoja residents fleeing their homes due to hunger, the crisis is far from over. Leaders are calling for government intervention, including food relief, irrigation infrastructure, and sensitisation programs to promote better food storage and management practices. Until these measures are put in place, the bus parks in Kotido and other districts will remain filled with desperate families seeking a lifeline beyond Karamoja’s borders.
Impact
The hunger crisis in Karamoja has profoundly impacted children in the region, leading to alarming malnutrition rates. According to the latest Nutrition Situation Report released by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) last December, Karamoja continues to record the highest levels of stunting and wasting in the country.
Produced by Nation Media Group in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Editorial Team
General Manager Editorial: Daniel Kalinaki
Acting Managing Editor: Allan Chekwech
Editor, Sustainability Hub: Gillian Nantume
Features Editor: Caesar Karuhanga Abangirah
Contributors: Herbert Kamoga, Kenneth Odele
