IGAD to focus on building peace, security in Karamoja

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The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has embarked on the design of a new project aimed at improving peace and security in the Karamoja sub-region, with a focus on the livestock sector, consolidating gains and addressing key drivers to achieve sustainable security through livelihoods in north-eastern Uganda.

The five-year project also aims to enhance household incomes in cross-border areas within the sub-region, which has, over the years, been affected by insecurity.

Speaking at the close of a three-day consultative workshop held on April 13, 2026, at Hotel Africana in Moroto, IGAD head of mission to Uganda, Joselyn Bigirwa, said the new project would be impactful for the people of Karamoja.

She added that the information provided by stakeholders in the sub-region had greatly enriched the design of the new project.

“I would like to appreciate all the civil society organisations that have provided ideas towards the design of the new initiative,” Bigirwa noted.

She further said that IGAD is currently focusing on building regional interventions, adding that the purpose of the consultation was to ensure ownership.

“The project we want to undertake will benefit six of the districts of Karamoja,” Bigirwa said, adding that it will also extend to border communities in Kenya and South Sudan.

She said the IGAD Strategy 2026 to 2030 allows country programmes to design development initiatives, noting that this makes the project the first of its kind.

Bigirwa said the project, still in its infancy, is expected to benefit 90 per cent of the Karamoja sub-region once funding is secured later this year, and called on local governments to embrace the intervention to ensure sustainability.

“IGAD has been on the ground supporting herders in the region,” she said, adding that what is needed is support from the districts.

Bigirwa further appealed to the Karamoja sub-region to embrace the initiative by ensuring stakeholder contribution for meaningful impact on the ground.

She said IGAD remains engaged and committed to ensuring that the project takes off in the coming months.

RDC Moroto Bensin Kwikiriza (left) with Joseltyn Bigirwa (right), at the IGAD consultative meeting in Moroto. (Photo by Olandason Wanyama)

Presiding over the closure of the meeting, the Resident District Commissioner for Moroto, Benson Kwikiriza, said the people of Karamoja are not lazy.

He added that the government is committed to fighting insecurity, which he said is a key issue affecting development in the sub-region.

‘The fight we have resorted to is to eradicate poverty,” Kwikiriza noted.

He also congratulated stakeholders for developing a policy document that will focus on livestock, peace and security.

“Cows are the backbone of Karamoja,” Kwikiriza said, adding that it is critical for interventions to address water scarcity.

He also said there is a need to focus on drought-resistant crops to ensure food security for families.

The consultative meeting, aimed at designing the IGAD project for Karamoja, linked to the Toposa of South Sudan and Turkana in Kenya, was attended by district production officers, civil society organisations and chief administrative officers.

Other participants included technical teams from the Office of the Prime Minister, national research organisations and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.