By KT Reporter
Civil society organizations in the Karamoja sub region are calling on the government to prioritize the region’s needs in the upcoming national budget for financial year 2026/27.
The call was made in a joint statement by a coalition of civil society organizations including the Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE), Karamoja Herders of the Horn (KHH), Restless Development (Uganda), RiamRiam Civil Society Network-Karamoja, Karamoja Women Umbrella Organization (KAWUO), Multi-Community Based Development Initiative (MUCOBADI) while meeting with journalists in Moroto district.
According to the CSOs, Karamoja’s challenges are not a matter of charity but of justice and equity and leaving the region behind undermines Uganda’s vision for inclusive national development.
They are now calling upon the government to make FY2026/27 the year of equity by increasing budget allocations to Karamoja in line with its disproportionate poverty and service delivery needs.
Jonas Mbabazi, the Programs manager at ACODE, said that there are a number of issues that are very important for the region that the government should consider in their budget.
Mbabazi says that as CSOs they recognize that Karamoja remains Uganda’s most marginalized area, with poverty levels at 74.2% as per the 2023/24 Uganda National Household Survey, three times higher than the national average.
He observes that the region also records the lowest literacy rate in the country at 25.4%, persistent food insecurity, and chronic underfunding in health, education, agriculture, and infrastructure.
Mbabazi explained that despite the glaring disparities, Karamoja receives 17% less per capital budget allocation than the national average, and only 19% of its district budgets are directed to development spending.
He said that the budget constraints have resulted in weak service delivery systems, under-staffed facilities, and limited opportunities for youth and women to thrive.
Mbabazi said that the national budget should be able to refocus and ensure that it addresses these concerns.
MUCOBADI highlighted some of the gaps affecting the service delivery on education and health across the region.
In the education sector, Emmanuel Lokir Lomonyang, the Community Accountability Champion at MUCOBADI explained that the education sector in Karamoja faces a staffing crisis, with some schools operating with as few as five teachers for more than 1,000 pupils.
Lomonyang stated that over 60% of primary schools lack teacher accommodation, contributing to absenteeism and low retention. He noted that many community-founded schools remain uncoded, preventing them from receiving government support.
Lomonyang also reiterated that the dropout rates in the region are among the highest in Uganda, with more than 50% of learners leaving school before completing the Primary cycle.
In health, Lomonyang revealed that Karamoja has the highest number of un-upgraded Health Centre IIs, forcing expectant mothers to travel long distances for deliveries.
Lomonyang cited Kalemungole HCIII, where only 12 of the 53 required staff are in place, a stark example of chronic understaffing. He said that the facilities often lack electricity and water, and suffer chronic drug stockouts, making it impossible to provide safe maternal care.
Lomonyang said that as CSOs, they called on the government to consider recruiting more teachers, construct staff houses, and fast –track the coding of community schools. He also demanded for the full integration of school feeding into the national budget as malnutrition exceeds 35 % in districts the region.
Under health, Lomonyang emphasized the need to upgrade all remaining Health Centre IIs to IIIs, recruit and retain health workers with hardship allowances.
He said that the Central and Local governments should budget for adequate supply of essential medicines and drugs in health centres and district hospitals in the sub-region
Celine Auma, the Director of Programs at KAWUO, raised a concern about the Women in Karamoja who are disproportionately affected by poverty, gender-based violence (GBV), and poor maternal health.
Auma said that over 60% of women in the region have experienced Gender Based Violence, while maternal mortality remains nearly 50% above the national average yet the district budget allocated is less than 2% to women-focused interventions.
Auma stressed that investing in women should not be charity but smart economics. She demanded that they increase and ring-fence the funding for GBV prevention, maternal health, and women’s livelihood support.
She also called for the institutionalization of gender-responsive budgeting at district and national levels, and promoted active and meaningful participation of women in all stages of the budget cycle.
Auma also noted that the women and youth voices have remained significantly underrepresented in governance and budgeting processes, particularly at district and sub-county levels.
She observed that such exclusion limits meaningful resource allocation and accountability, resulting in budgets that do not fully address the urgent needs of young people.
Auma emphasized on the need for transparency in budget implementation, improved procurement, and timely disbursement of funds.
She called for the allocation of funds to establish and strengthen Youth Governance and Accountability Platforms in Karamoja, such as women and youth-led community barazas, budget dialogues, and service delivery monitoring initiatives.
Henry Napakol, programs coordinator at Restless Development Uganda, said that many of the young people in the karamoja sub region have been closed out of the active economy.
Napakol said that the young people do not have skills to engage in active employment that will directly contribute to the economy of the country. He recommended that the resources be allocated to youth friendly programs designed and directly targeting the young people.
Napakol noted that they need more resources on the sexual reproductive health and livelihood programs that are empowering the young people.
He said that the resources should be directed to youth focused accountability systems to be able to hold the duty bearers accountable for the resources invested in the region.
Dorcus Angom, the programs manager at RiamRiam Civil Society Network emphasized on the need for transparency in the implementation of the government projects.
Angom noted that despite the various government interventions to economically transform the community, the impact realized is very minimal among the youth and the women. She said that the status of women and youth have not yet improved in terms of socially economically empowered due to gaps in the implementation processes.
Angom said that there is a need to strengthen the accountability platform and allocation of more funds platforms like barazas where community structures are able to engage with duty bearers. She added that the government should allocates more funds for meetings at council and local government public committees so that they are able to discuss issues raised on poor governance and poor accountability.
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