Engola Calls for Coordinated Action as Karamoja Food Crisis Leaves 473,000 Facing Acute Hunger

What the report says

Dokolo Post reports that Uganda’s Minister of Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, Sam Engola, has urged closer cooperation between government agencies and development partners as Karamoja faces a worsening food security and nutrition emergency. The report says about 473,000 people in the sub-region are experiencing acute food shortages after two failed crop seasons.

Engola made the call in Kampala while chairing a meeting of the Karamoja Development Partners Group on behalf of the Prime Minister. According to the report, the meeting focused on aligning relief efforts with the Government’s six-month Food Security and Nutrition Crisis Response Plan. Engola said he had seen the situation in Karamoja directly and stressed the need for a unified response aimed at saving lives and helping communities rebuild livelihoods.

The plan is built around six areas: coordination and early warning, food and cash support, health and nutrition, agriculture, school feeding and education, and cross-border peace and protection. Dokolo Post reports that more than 30,000 children are affected by malnutrition. The response plan is estimated to need US$84 million; government has committed US$12.16 million, leaving a gap of about US$72.6 million.

The minister said government food relief distribution is already in progress and acknowledged partners already assisting affected communities. He also called for interventions to be coordinated through government structures to improve planning and accountability. Beyond immediate relief, Engola pointed to irrigation and grain storage as longer-term measures to reduce repeated drought-related food crises, and said neighbouring Teso, Lango and Acholi should also be considered in future resilience planning.