Moroto residents get food assistance amidst hunger, lockdown

Moroto, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Residents of Moroto municipality are excited after receiving food relief from the government amidst the nationwide lockdown and crop failure caused by prolonged drought. The area Member of Parliament Francis Adome Lorika delivered the food relief to assist food-insecure households in the municipality.

The Office of the Prime Minister provided 120 bags of beans, 400 bags of maize flour worth 100 kilograms each. The OPM also provided 3, 000 kilograms of sugar for door to door distribution. Each household is expected to receive 5 kgs of posho, 1-2 Kgs beans and an unspecified amount of sugar to be decided by the local leaders involved in the distribution exercise.

The government support comes at the time the community is experiencing crop failure due to drought and economic hardship resulting from the lockdown. Regina Teko, a resident of Natumkasikou village in Moroto municipal council is happy that the government has responded at the right time when some families slept on empty stomachs. She says that the assistance has reached persons with disabilities, persons living with HIV/AIDs and other vulnerable persons.

Anne Grace Aleper, a resident of Bazzar village in North division has lauded local leaders for voicing community problems including food insecurity. She explains that this season is disastrous because sunshine destroyed their crops.

Moroto Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, Peter Gidongo Wasagani, says that this is the first food relief government is donating to the people of Moroto district in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and crop failure. He expressed optimism that further assistance will follow, adding that district authorities have sent comprehensive reports on the food situation.

“We have dispatched the food for distribution through divisions. Distributions take place at selected points in each village for all the residents. We are hoping that OPM will respond to our request for more food to cater for the people outside the municipality who have been affected by drought leading to crop failure” he said in an interview on Wednesday.

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