The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The famine in Karamoja continues to raise concern among leaders, and this time, the Speaker Anita Among is calling for a well-coordinated approach to address the calamity that is threatening lives of over 500,000 people.
“Let us have this approach to solve the drought in the whole country. We have seen so many starving and malnourished people and I think the government needs to come out clearly on how to handle this issue,” Among said.
On 14 July 2022, Esther Anyakun, the Minister for State for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, informed the House that 517,000 people in Karamoja are at risk of food insecurity with the worst hit areas being Kotido, Napak and Kaabong districts.
While chairing plenary on Tuesday, 19 July 2022, Among tasked government to provide short, medium and long term solutions.
“I heard a statement where they were saying that food is available for three months. Which food can grow now and will be available within three months,” she said.
To avert famine in Karamoja, Among also advised that focus should be moved to mindset change of the people in Karamoja.
“The people down there think they should only live on cattle. But you cannot live on cattle only. You need to encourage them to do farming and if you do not do that, we will continue lamenting,” she said.
The Speaker also reiterated a call for a Disaster Preparedness and Management Commission saying that the commission would have been able to handle such disasters.
Article 249 of the Constitution states that, ‘there shall be a Disaster Preparedness and Management Commission for Uganda to deal with both natural and man-made disasters’.
“I do not know why we do not have this commission up to today. We are doing everything in an adhoc way,” she said.
The Chief Opposition Whip, John Baptist Nambeshe called for legislation to strengthen the capacity of district disaster management committees blaming such disasters on what he termed, ‘incapacitated committees’.
“We could start with these lowest units. By law, they have no powers to attend to emergencies. They ought to be allocated a budget that could quickly attend to emergencies before Office of the Prime Minister comes in,” he said.
The Leader of the Opposition, Mathias Mpuuga asked government to reassure the country of its capacity to avert the famine in Karamoja and drought in the whole country.
“Can the Prime Minister tell us how prepared the government is to feed the population given the obvious food crisis. People are reaching out for food from MPs,” said Mpuuga.
Premier, Robinah Nabbanja said that the famine situation will be addressed under the Contingency Fund.
“Government appropriated funds under the Contingency Fund and that is how the situation will be handled,” said Nabbanja.
The Minister of State for Karamoja Affairs, Agnes Nandutu called for disarmament of the Karamijong rustlers saying that the insecurity in the region has caused food shortage there.
“The army is doing their work. My request to the leaders is to support the security to do their work and rid Karamoja of guns such that there is security in the area and we are able to embark on food production,” she said.
Nandutu added that the Ministry of Agriculture has pledged to provide 50 tractors to be used for food production.
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SOURCE: UGANDA PARLIAMENT MEDIA
