Govt dispatches emergency food relief to hunger-stricken Karamoja

At least 16 people have died from hunger-related causes in the Karamoja sub-region following a prolonged dry spell that has devastated crops and plunged thousands of households into acute food insecurity.

In a statement issued on Thursday (July 9), the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) confirmed the deaths, saying that although several parts of Uganda are experiencing dry conditions, Karamoja has been the worst affected.

In response, the Government on Wednesday dispatched 22 tonnes of emergency food relief to the region.

According to OPM permanent secretary Alex Kakooza, the consignment, comprising 13 tonnes of maize flour and nine tonnes of beans, was delivered to the worst-hit subcounties of Loduku and Loyoru in Kaabong district.

A second consignment has already been arranged for immediate delivery to other severely affected districts, including Kaabong, Kotido, Amudat, Napak and Moroto.

The OPM also announced plans to expand the emergency response. Kakooza said the office will, on July 13, 2026, seek Cabinet approval to procure additional food supplies for the wider Karamoja sub-region and neighbouring districts.

"The Government recognises the difficulties faced by Ugandans experiencing food shortages and is taking urgent measures to support the families most in need," Kakooza said, adding that efforts are underway to contain the crisis.


Why Karamoja remains vulnerable

The recurring food crises in Karamoja are driven by a combination of environmental, economic and structural challenges rather than a single failed farming season.

According to recent reports, climate change and land degradation remain among the leading causes of the region's vulnerability.

Karamoja, a semi-arid region that depends on a single rainy season, has experienced increasingly unpredictable weather, with prolonged droughts destroying crops and flash floods washing away fertile soils. Widespread deforestation and overgrazing have further degraded agricultural land.

The situation is worsened by frequent pest infestations and livestock diseases, according to a recent media report. It noted that desert locusts and African armyworms periodically destroy crops, while outbreaks of Foot-and-Mouth Disease and other livestock illnesses reduce household incomes and disrupt food supplies by triggering animal movement restrictions.

Following failed harvests, many families lack the resources to purchase improved seeds and fertilisers, while poor road networks make transporting food into the region costly, forcing many households to spend more than half of their income on food.

A history of repeated food crises

Although the current situation is severe, it follows a long history of recurring humanitarian emergencies in Karamoja.

The famine of 1980 remains the region's worst on record, according to the OPM. The disaster was triggered by a prolonged drought that coincided with the collapse of state authority following the 1979 overthrow of Idi Amin.

Thousands of firearms looted from the Moroto army barracks transformed traditional cattle rustling into violent armed conflict, destroying livestock, disrupting livelihoods and deepening food shortages.

More recently, Karamoja has experienced repeated crises driven by prolonged drought, pest invasions and insecurity.

In 2022, two consecutive years of crop failure, desert locust invasions and soaring global food prices left more than 518,000 people, nearly 40% of the region's population, in critical need of food assistance.

Hundreds of hunger-related deaths, particularly among children under five and older people, were reported.

The crisis persisted into 2024 after five consecutive years of below-average rainfall. For the first time in three years, all nine districts of Karamoja were classified under IPC Phase 3 (Crisis) or worse, leaving more than half a million people dependent on emergency humanitarian food assistance.