𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗞𝗮𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘀 𝗗𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻𝘀

Emergency food relief has reached Kaabong District as the Government begins distributing aid to drought-affected households across Karamoja. The intervention follows President Yoweri Museveni’s directive assigning the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), through the National Enterprise Corporation (NEC), alongside the Uganda Prisons Service, to manage food distribution for faster delivery and improved accountability.

Funded with Shs45 billion, the relief programme targets the hardest-hit districts of Kaabong, Kotido, Moroto, Karenga and Nabilatuk, where prolonged drought has left thousands of families facing severe food shortages.

In Kaabong, more than 43,000 households are receiving 20kg of maize flour (posho) and 10kg of beans. Deputy Resident District Commissioner Celestine Enabu described the support as timely and welcomed the Government’s swift response.

However, Enabu urged authorities to complement emergency relief with long-term solutions, including investment in irrigation and climate-smart farming, to reduce dependence on food aid and strengthen food security.

Karamoja is grappling with one of its worst droughts in recent years, with an estimated 600,000 vulnerable people facing acute hunger. Government also plans to distribute planting seeds through Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) ahead of the next rainy season to support recovery and boost household food production.