President Museveni has unveiled a three-phase food stabilisation strategy for Karamoja aimed at helping households withstand recurrent droughts, strengthen food security and progressively reduce dependence on emergency food relief.
The strategy will provide communities with agricultural seed varieties and livestock suited to the region’s climatic conditions through short-, medium- and long-term interventions, President Museveni said.
He announced the strategy on Friday while officiating at the 11th edition of the Karamoja Cultural Event at Naitakwae Grounds in Moroto District.
The week-long event, organised by the Karamoja Cultural Association, runs from September 6 to 12 under the theme: “Unity in Culture, Strength in Peace, Prosperity Through Tourism and Natural Resources.”
President Museveni said the strategy was prompted by the devastating effects of climate change on agriculture and food security in Karamoja, which have repeatedly compelled the government to provide emergency food relief to affected communities.
He noted that the government is currently distributing food relief worth approximately Shs45 billion to drought-stricken areas.
The President said Cabinet had consequently resolved to adopt a more sustainable approach to food security in the region instead of repeatedly relying on emergency relief.
Under the strategy, the government will provide agricultural inputs and livestock capable of withstanding the region’s harsh climatic conditions, enabling households to progressively achieve food security and improve their livelihoods.
President Museveni tasked the Minister for Karamoja Affairs, John Baptist Lokii, with elaborating on the Cabinet decision and outlining how the three-phase strategy will be implemented.
President Museveni said the immediate phase would focus on crops capable of producing food within a relatively short period, given Karamoja’s unpredictable weather conditions.
He recommended the promotion of sorghum, green grams and white peas, which have relatively short maturity periods and can provide food within a shorter growing season.
He cautioned against excessive reliance on maize, citing its relatively long maturity period and Karamoja’s dry climatic conditions.
The President also encouraged households to embrace goat rearing and beekeeping as alternative sources of food and income.
He said goats are particularly suited to Karamoja because they can survive on the shrubs and vegetation available in the region.
Cassava and bananas, he added, can also be grown in the wetter parts of Karamoja.
President Museveni said the medium- and long-term phases would progressively move households from subsistence production and food insecurity towards modern commercial agriculture.
He said irrigation would be central to this transformation because of the region’s vulnerability to prolonged drought.
The President called for the development of large-scale water infrastructure, including dams, to support irrigation and reduce dependence on rainfall.
“Therefore, Karamoja is a fertile area, but it’s because of water body encroachment. Therefore, we are going to put up big projects to support irrigation in Karamoja, like big dams,” he said.
He also warned against wetland encroachment, stressing the importance of protecting wetlands as part of Uganda’s water systems rather than converting them into agricultural land.
Alongside the food stabilisation strategy, President Museveni called on the people of Karamoja to conduct a cultural audit to identify practices that should be preserved and those that undermine social and economic development.
He commended the Karamojong for positive cultural practices that have contributed to the community’s resilience, including the relatively low HIV/AIDS prevalence in the region.
However, he urged the community to reconsider practices that hinder sustainable household income growth, citing nomadism among those that require re-examination.
“I think you should do a cultural audit. There are some things in your culture which are good and others which are not good. Keep the good ones and abandon the bad ones,” the President said.
President Museveni also attributed Karamoja’s improving development prospects to the restoration of peace following the government’s disarmament programme.
He said the government had recovered approximately 41,000 illegal guns from the region, contributing significantly to the reduction of insecurity and cattle raids.
He particularly thanked women for their role in the initial disarmament exercise, saying their participation was instrumental in helping the government recover the firearms.
The President also commended individuals who helped expose commercial networks behind cattle raiding and those who supported former members of the Karacuna groups to abandon violence and embrace productive livelihoods.
He said the transformation of former warriors demonstrated that people previously involved in violence could change when given opportunities to earn a living peacefully.
The President further directed that Fr. Raphael Lobere be awarded a medal for his contribution to restoring peace in the Karamoja sub-region.
Vice President Jessica Alupo thanked the people of Karamoja for their support for the NRM in the recently concluded elections, saying the restoration of peace had opened up significant opportunities for development.
NRM Secretary General Richard Todwong also congratulated the people of Karamoja for supporting the NRM government and urged them to use their rich cultural heritage as an asset in the fight against household poverty.
Minister for Karamoja Affairs John Baptist Lokii welcomed the President’s focus on food stabilisation, saying the strategy would complement existing government wealth-creation programmes, including the Parish Development Model (PDM) and Emyooga.
Lokii said Karamoja had made significant progress in peace and socioeconomic transformation.
However, he appealed to President Museveni to consider delaying the recovery of PDM funds from beneficiaries in Karamoja because of the prolonged drought.
“Let us allow Karamojongs to recover properly from this strong drought,” he appealed.
The 11th Karamoja Cultural Event has brought together an estimated 15,000 participants from the wider Ateker cluster, including the Karamojong, Iteso, Ethur, Ik and Tepeth, as well as the Turkana and Pokot from Kenya, the Toposa from South Sudan and the Nyangatom from Ethiopia.
The event is showcasing Karamoja’s cultural heritage while highlighting the potential of culture, tourism and natural resources to drive peace, economic growth and socioeconomic transformation in the region.
