MPs tip govt on food security through food, nutrition budgeting

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Uganda Parliamentary Alliance on Food and Nutrition Security has asked the Government through its ministries and departments to prioritise budgeting for food and nutrition as a way to promote food security in the country.

Kiboga District Woman Member of Parliament Christine Nakimwero, on behalf of the association, says despite Uganda's vast agricultural potential, millions of Ugandans still face food insecurity and that many children and women are still affected by malnutrition.

Nakimwero says there is a need to support policies that will enhance food security in the country, which can only be achieved through deliberate planning and budgeting.

Kaaya Christine Nakimwero, Woman Representative Kiboga (NUP). (Courtesy)

She made the call on October 13, 2025, at a media briefing in Kampala city ahead of October 16, World Food Day 2025 celebrations themed: Hand in Hand for Better Foods and a Better Future.

The Bukhooli Island MP Peter Okeyoh called for the improved feeding of children in schools.

Unicef says malnutrition threatens to destroy a generation of children in Uganda with over one third of all young children – 2.4 million – stunted.

According to the World Health Organisation, over 268,000 children in Uganda suffer from wasting. To combat this, the country is enhancing data collection and use in its healthcare facilities and communities through the Nutrition Information System (NIS) project. This is part of the country's broader efforts to generate community-level data to inform decisions for improving population health.

To combat rising child malnutrition in Uganda, civil society organisations, early this year requested the Government, through the agriculture ministry to integrate agroecology into the new food policy. The Government is reviewing the 2003 Food and Nutrition policy to address emerging food safety concerns driven by changing consumption patterns, nutrition trends and urbanisation.