Concerns over worsening hunger and persistent poverty in the Karamoja sub-region have resurfaced in Parliament, with lawmakers urging the government to respond urgently to an emerging food crisis while accelerating long-term investments to transform one of Uganda’s most vulnerable regions.
The debate followed President Yoweri Museveni’s address highlighting the National Resistance Movement’s (NRM) achievements, including economic growth, improved life expectancy, reduced infant mortality and declining national poverty. However, Members of Parliament from Karamoja argued that despite the country’s overall progress, the region continues to trail on nearly every major socio-economic indicator.
Pian County MP Remigio Achia acknowledged what he described as the President’s account of Uganda’s transformation since 1986, citing growth in the country’s Gross Domestic Product from about USD 3.6 billion to approximately USD 69 billion, an increase in life expectancy from 43 to 68 years, reductions in infant mortality and a significant decline in national poverty.
However, Achia warned that Karamoja has not equally benefited from these gains. He said more than 900,000 people, more than half of the region’s estimated 1.5 million population, are facing food insecurity following a prolonged drought that has devastated crops.
Achia argued that recurring climate shocks have become even more devastating because many pastoral households lost their livestock during years of cattle rustling and insecurity, depriving families of their traditional source of resilience during drought.
He said Karamoja continues to register some of Uganda’s worst development indicators, with monetary poverty estimated at 74 percent and multidimensional poverty at 56 percent, far above the national average. Despite these challenges, Achia noted that Karamoja is increasingly contributing to Uganda’s economy through its vast mineral resources.
Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa echoed the concerns, saying repeated appeals from leaders in Karamoja underscore the need for a deliberate strategy to unlock the region’s potential. He observed that with adequate investment, Karamoja has the capacity to become a major food-producing region for both Uganda and its neighbours despite its recurring droughts.
Responding on behalf of the government, Minister of State for Trade David Bahati said Karamoja remains a key priority in Uganda’s development agenda. He highlighted ongoing industrial investments, including cement and clinker manufacturing plants, which government says will reduce reliance on imported clinker for road construction while adding value to the region’s mineral resources.
Bahati also announced that the government is finalising feasibility studies for a multi-billion-dollar industrial park in Karamoja, which is expected to attract investment, create jobs and stimulate local economic growth.
Government believes increased industrialisation will enable the region to benefit more directly from its mineral wealth while creating opportunities beyond livestock keeping and subsistence agriculture. Minister for General Duties in the Office of the Prime Minister, Eng. Hilary Onek, confirmed that Karamoja is facing a severe drought after rains ended around May, causing crops to wither before harvest.
He said the Ministry responsible for Disaster Preparedness, working together with the Ministry for Karamoja Affairs, is preparing emergency food relief for affected communities. However, Onek stressed that the government is shifting its focus from recurring emergency interventions to long-term solutions.
Onek also linked the worsening drought to environmental degradation, warning that continued deforestation, wetland destruction and the effects of climate change are threatening Uganda’s long-term rainfall patterns. He said government plans to integrate interventions in Karamoja with broader efforts across Uganda’s cattle corridor, where livestock farmers are also experiencing severe water shortages.
Karamoja has experienced recurring food crises for decades, driven by a combination of climate variability, chronic poverty, conflict, livestock losses, weak infrastructure and limited access to essential social services. For generations, pastoralism formed the backbone of livelihoods in the region. However, years of cattle rustling, insecurity and subsequent disarmament programmes significantly reduced livestock ownership, weakening households’ ability to withstand prolonged droughts.
Climate change has compounded the situation, with increasingly erratic rainfall leading to repeated crop failures and shrinking pasture for livestock. The region continues to record some of Uganda’s highest poverty rates, lowest education outcomes, highest levels of child malnutrition, and among the country’s poorest health indicators.
Successive governments have implemented several interventions to address food insecurity and underdevelopment in Karamoja. These include emergency food distributions coordinated by the Office of the Prime Minister during drought periods, school feeding programmes supported by development partners, livelihood diversification initiatives promoting crop farming alongside livestock production, peace-building and disarmament campaigns, and investments in roads, water infrastructure, health facilities and education.
Despite these efforts, humanitarian agencies have consistently maintained that emergency food assistance alone cannot address the structural drivers of vulnerability, including climate change, low agricultural productivity, inadequate irrigation and persistent poverty. Karamoja has also benefited from substantial support by development partners, including United Nations agencies, the European Union, USAID, the World Bank and several international non-governmental organisations, which have invested billions of shillings in humanitarian relief and long-term development programmes.
Their interventions have improved nutrition services, expanded access to safe water, strengthened agricultural extension, restored livelihoods after conflict, improved maternal and child health services and supported climate adaptation initiatives. Even so, development partners continue to argue that lasting progress will depend on sustained investment in irrigation, market access, value addition, environmental restoration and broader economic diversification-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
