The already weak skinned elders sit in the sun from it’s rising to the setting in empty stomachs waiting for the next day, Spoons of porridge is offered to the young ones on lucky days to try & sustain them overnight waiting for the angel of death to strike.
It is factual that in every 10 households in Karamoja, there is not food or otherwise the little left has numbered days with no options rather than helplessly breathing their last!
Leaders claim hundreds of both young children and vulnerable elders have so far mercilessly succumbed to hunger. Families have resorted to eating wild leaves most which are dry, bitter & poisonous.
Karamoja is in the North- Eastern region of Uganda and literally one of the poorest region dues to series of reasons arising from the dry climatic condition, political & economic imbalance, insecurity & poor infrastructure for long. The region consists of over Seven districts including Kaabong, Kotido, Abim, Moroto, Napak, Nakapiripirit, Amudat etc which were designated as USAID/ Uganda Secondary Feed the Future Zone of Influence.
The region has income poverty at 61% and food poverty of 70% by UNHS 2016/17 report with the population is mainly rural livelihood based on livestock and crop rotations which that has since been affected with harsh dry climatic conditions, invasion of locusts that destroyed all planted crops as well as cattle rustling from the neighboring Kenyans rustlers who crossover from Turkana boarders armed to the teeth with guns and machetes, lives get lost in such crossfire as animals get stolen. The region continues to have the highest food food insecurity and malnutrition levels in Uganda due to above related factors.
According to daily monitor, Uganda’s most independent Newspaper, over 900 residents have since died due to hunger related diseases since last year UpToDate. The strong heat and scorching sun wave have terminated torrents of water that gurled from Mt Moroto turning the valley of life to hot spots of death traps!
Considering politics aside, a combined support by the government & opposition political parties such as National Unity Platform have since sent trucks of over 780 metric tons of posho and beans to the region, however these alone is not sufficient for the over 1.2 Million population, hunger is still on course and daily cases of deaths are reported by the media & leaders.
Philanthropists like Dr Lokubal who hails from region have tried raised 20 million Shillings from donors to save the poor lives but all these seems to be sucked by the overwhelming situation.
By Monday 7th July 2022, Kotido Chairperson Mr Paul Kodet reported that 626 residents have since passed on in Kotido alone consisting of elders & children aged 3-6 years in the last 5 months. Of these 53 were from Kotido Sub County, 88-Nakapelimoru, 68-Kamol, 35- Napumpum, 7-Lochel, 45 from Maru and over 336 from Kacheri Town Council. The case is not any different in the neighboring Kaabong District were a total of 260 people have so far breathed their last were and in Napak 49 have died too. This is not a Covid19 death statistics but rather starvation and hunger deaths!
