Members of Parliament and disaster preparedness officials have demanded a definitive transition from temporary food hand-outs to commercial agriculture and irrigation infrastructure to break Karamoja’s decades-long food insecurity crisis.
Appearing before Parliament’s Presidential Affairs Committee on Wednesday, Minister for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees Sam Engola conceded that emergency relief food serves only as a temporary life-saving measure.
Engola noted that the government has failed to implement cohesive, forward-looking strategies to solve the region's food deficit.
“The problem of Karamoja, which is 40 years, is very easy to finish, but there is no sitting where people sit and plan for Karamoja,” Engola told the committee.
The minister revealed that the government secured Shs45 billion from the Consolidated Fund to dispatch emergency food supplies across all districts in the region.
Engola advocated for long-term investments in modern grain silos and expanded water distribution systems.
He underscored that the sub-region has the potential to feed itself if provided with functional irrigation facilities.
Committee Chairperson Hon. Martin Ojara Mapenduzi challenged the Office of the Prime Minister to present a sustainable master plan instead of relying on seasonal emergency fund mobilisations.
“Every year Karamoja faces severe hunger as a result of prolonged drought,” Mapenduzi said.
Dodoth East County MP Peter Pex Paak criticized the continuous reliance on emergency interventions without addressing the root cause.
“For 40 years, you have been feeding Karamoja. You want to feed Karamoja for another 40 years? … Why don't we have permanent solutions? A ministry for disaster must be having plans to prevent certain things,” Paak argued.
Bushenyi District Woman Representative Hon. Annet Katusiime and Manafwa District Woman Representative Hon. Rose Mutonyi also pressed for a structured, production-led agricultural blueprint for the area.
In response, Assistant Commissioner for Disaster Preparedness Catherine Ahimbisibwe stated that the National Planning Authority and the Ministry for Karamoja Affairs are drafting a comprehensive Karamoja Development Plan.
The forthcoming plan focuses on large-scale water harvesting, commercial farming, irrigation grids, and environmental protection.
Ahimbisibwe reported that the recent relief campaign distributed over 9.4 million kilogrammes of maize flour and beans to 313,987 households across nine districts.
She explained that logistics hurdles, broken-down vehicles, poor roads, and discrepancies between ground data and the 2024 census figures left some households without rations.
To address transit delays, Principal Disaster Management Officer Cyprian Dhikusooka told lawmakers that the ministry urgently requires at least six additional heavy trucks.
“We need extra six trucks,” Dhikusooka said, estimating the cost of each vehicle at up to Shs1 billion.
Mapenduzi ordered the ministry to furnish the committee with comprehensive operational reports detailing emergency budgets, El Niño contingency programmes, and citizen relocation expenses.
