Dr. Ayub Mukisa: Karamoja: Could the Roots of Today’s Hunger Lie in Colonial Exploitation?

What the report says

Watchdog Uganda published an opinion piece by Dr. Ayub Mukisa, executive director of the Karamoja Anti-Corruption Coalition, arguing that present-day hunger in Karamoja may be traced to colonial-era policies. The article frames the issue as a historical question about whether exploitation and changes to land use weakened the region’s ability to sustain pastoralism and agriculture.

Mukisa cites a 1982 study by Mahmood Mamdani as a central reference point. In that account, colonial intervention allegedly undermined the pastoral economy and disrupted the transition to farming. The piece also points to later research suggesting that land taken during the colonial period reduced local access to grazing and agricultural areas.

According to the article, land acquisition in Karamoja unfolded over several decades, from the 1920s to the 1960s, and included land transferred to the Kenyan colonial administration and other areas set aside as a game reserve, now part of Kidepo National Game Park. Mukisa says the affected land was suitable for grazing and crop cultivation, and argues that this history helps explain why hunger remains such a serious issue.

The commentary does not argue against national parks, but says understanding historical causes is important for shaping practical solutions. The piece matters because it links current food insecurity in Karamoja to long-running land and development disputes, a topic with broader relevance in northern Uganda and other post-colonial settings.