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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ministry of Disaster Preparedness and Refugees has started the emergency procurement of food relief for at least 3.5 million people facing starvation in different parts of the county.
Severe dry conditions from October-December 2018 and delayed rainfall between January and March 2019 March led to crop failures and affected early planting in areas of Acholi, Teso, Bukedi, Busoga and Karamoja. The adverse weather also affected the large section of Uganda’s cattle corridor dominated by nomadic pastoralists in areas of Nakasongola and Nakaseke.
On May 7, the Cabinet approved the release of 40 billion Shillings from the Contingency Fund for emergency procurement of relief food to support households in dire need of food relief. Disaster Preparedness Minister of Eng. Hillary Onek Eng. Hillary Onek told URN that government has released 16 out of the 40 billion shillings and has already embarked on procurement of the relief items.
According to Eng. Onek, each sub-county in the food stressed regions will receive 30 tons of food to be shared among the most vulnerable families.
Anna Aciro, a resident of Paloga Sub County in Lamwo district has pleaded with government to expedite the process of the food relief procurement is forcing several children out of school due to food scarcity.
Weather forecasts by meteorologists have previously predicted dry conditions and mixed performance of rains in May. It is estimated that as a result, crop production will be below-average levels which has raised worries about food security in areas that depend entirely on rainfall for agriculture production.
They indicated that the suppressed rainfall between early March and mid-April was largely caused by the Tropical Cyclone Idai, which formed in early March in the Mozambique Channel and redirected precipitations away from East Africa.
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