Govt trains over 30 Karamoja heads of departments in social protection

To envision “a society where all individuals are socially secure and resilient to socio-economic risks and shocks across the country, specifically Karamoja, the Government has trained a team of 33 heads of departments (HODs) as social protection experts in the region.

Social protection involves public and private efforts, such as cash transfers, social insurance, and care services, to safeguard individuals and families from income insecurity and social deprivation, aiming to build resilient livelihoods and enhance well-being. 

The national training programme under “TRANSFORM Uganda” seeks to actualise the social protection agenda in designing social transfer programmes, implementation, and while protecting the gains over the years. 

TRANSFORM is an innovative training approach that strengthens individual and institutional leadership capacity for the management of national social protection systems.

The approach is basically tailored for African and Arab countries to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in social protection programming.

So far, the gender ministry, which is in charge, will pilot the venture in the three Karamoja districts of Abim, Moroto, and Napak.

The HODs will focus on ensuring social protection financing, policies, financial management, monitoring, and evaluation, among many other interventions.

Presiding over the closure of the five-day training held at Kaabong Resort on August 29, 2025, Stephen Kasaija, head of the  Programme Management Unit at the gender ministry, said the team will be instrumental in informing the planning, designing, and effective implementation of social protection programmes.

He added that the Government has taken a bold step to adopt a national social protection policy that visualises “a society where all individuals are socially secure and resilient to social and economic risks and shocks."

He, however, said that to actualise social protection, awareness creation, and capacity building of actors, including stakeholders, is critical.

“With this, I want everyone to realise that the Government is intentional in taking the social protection plan to another level,” Kasaija said.

He congratulated the team for accepting to join a pool of transformative agents that will drive the social protection agenda in the country.

“I must emphasise that all of you who participated in the training were deliberately targeted,” Kasaija noted, adding that it all lies within the roles the HODs play in the local governments.

Heads of department attend lessons during the social protection training at Kaabong Resort Hotel on Friday. (Credit: Olandason Wanyama)

He also thanked the master trainers for the good job, saying the commitment and delivering the training was not a minor contribution to the government of Uganda.

Not forgetting the World Food Programme (WFP), Kasaija said the UN agency, WFP, has remained working towards the provision of financial and technical support for social protection.

He said the agency under the child-sensitive social protection support, among others, had registered remarkable achievements in West Nile and Karamoja regions.

Supporting the government

The head of social protection at WFP, Emily Awilli, said her agency was committed to supporting the Government of Uganda.

She added that WFP has, over the years, invested in building capacity of the technical personnel and also vulnerable persons.

“We have scaled up the most sensitive nutrition intervention that aims at improving the lives of children,” Awilli noted, adding that a monthly Shs. 48,000 nutri -cash for vulnerable mothers aims at the prevention of malnutrition, not fighting.

She said the intervention is regular and continuous engagement here in Karamoja.
Awilli disclosed that about 1,600 mothers have subscribed to the nutri cash in Karamoja, adding previously in West Nile, over 13,000 benefited from the scheme.

Speaking on behalf of the team, the head of natural resource department in Napak district, Paulina Peter Lokong, said social protection is a basis for promotion of human rights and growth for the community.

“We shall ensure contribution to building human capital,” she noted, adding that the poor will also be seen participating in productive activities.

Background

The Government has developed “TRANSFROM” with a goal to scale up understanding of social protection.

The roadmap has three scenarios to be implemented in a phased approach that involves already trained 14 master trainers charged with rolling out training to public servants.

The second phase involves holding engagements with the civil service to integrate, “TRANSFROM” curriculum for newly recruited civil servants, including political leaders.

Under the third phase, the gender ministry will engage institutions of higher learning to integrate social protection. This will involve training of lecturers, development partners,  civil society, among other interested members of the population.