UPC wants child malnutrition declared a national emergency
UPC president Jimmy Akena said the figures reflect a deepening crisis that threatens Uganda's human capital, productivity and future economic growth.
Uganda People's Congress (UPC) President Jimmy Akena addresses a press conference at the party headquarters, Uganda House, in Kampala. (Photo by Ronnie Kijjambu)
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The Uganda People's Congress (UPC) has challenged the government to address what it described as an emergency, warning that an estimated two million children under the age of five are suffering from acute malnutrition across the country.
Speaking during a weekly press conference at the UPC headquarters, Uganda House, in Kampala on July 15, 2026, UPC president Jimmy Akena said the figures reflect a deepening crisis that threatens Uganda's human capital, productivity and future economic growth.
“Two million children. That is not just a statistic. That is two million futures at risk,” Akena said. “If we do not act now with urgency, with resources, and with political will, we are condemning a generation to poor health, poor learning, and poor productivity.”
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), stunting is low height-for-age resulting from chronic undernutrition. It is usually associated with poor socioeconomic conditions, poor maternal health and nutrition, frequent illness, and inappropriate infant and young child feeding and care during early life.
“Since the advent of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) government in 1986, approximately 18 million children have suffered malnutrition, of which 16 million children are likely still alive today,” Akena emphasised.
Akena said several countries that have experienced devastating conflicts now report lower child stunting rates than Uganda's 26%, citing Rwanda at 19%, Syria 18%, Iraq 22%, Kosovo 10%, Yemen 45%, Afghanistan 38%, Sudan 35% and South Sudan 30%.
“How can Uganda, which has been ‘peaceful’ for the last 40 years, be among the countries having the highest child stunting burden compared to countries which have been battling internal conflicts and wars?” he asked.
Akena said the comparisons suggest that prolonged conflict alone does not determine child nutrition outcomes, arguing that national priorities such as maternal and child health services, nutrition programmes, sanitation, education and social protection play a major role.
“We are squandering the future of these children if our figures are comparable to Yemen when the government has failed to revive the rural economy and address worrying poverty levels in different regions of the country,” he noted.
“Milton Obote has been out of power for 40 years now, but President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has been giving a reference to my father, whom he claims killed over 800,000 people in the jungles of Luwero during the bush war that brought the NRM government to power.”
He further called for reforms in agriculture to strengthen food security.
“People in Karamoja are dying of hunger in the Pearl of Africa where there is abundant sunshine and rain throughout the year. We need policy shifts in agriculture to create food reserves and storage for the excess food items produced yearly in the country to address food shortages,” Akena suggested.
According to the 2022 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey, 26% of children under five in Uganda are stunted, meaning they are too short for their age because of chronic undernutrition. Another 4% suffer from wasting, or acute malnutrition.
The Ministry of Health estimates that about 29,000 children die each year from malnutrition-related causes.
According to the World Health Organization, stunting affects physical growth, cognitive development, educational performance, work capacity and lifetime productivity.
Akena cited district-level data showing that the problem is most severe in Karamoja, Teso, Lango, Acholi and parts of the West Nile and Busoga sub-regions.
“In Karamoja, stunting rates remain above 35%, despite years of humanitarian aid. Malnutrition is not only about hunger but about poor diets, poor sanitation, teenage pregnancies, poverty, and lack of access to health services,” he noted.
“While the government has put in place programs like the Parish Development Model (PDM) and the Uganda Nutrition Action Plan, implementation has been slow and fragmented,” he said.
Mutenderwa called on the Government to declare child malnutrition a national emergency and allocate emergency funding in the next supplementary budget.
He said the response requires a ring-fenced budget.
“You cannot fight this with leftover money from other programs. As UPC, we would have scaled up community-based nutrition programs through health centres II and III. That includes training more nutritionists, providing ready-to-use therapeutic foods, and integrating nutrition screening into maternal and child health services,” Mutenderwa advised.
Revive export hubs
Mutenderwa also said the government should establish export hubs for agricultural products to enable farmers to access better markets and improve household incomes.
“We do not only need to look at Nyakisharara airstrip rehabilitation but to look at all airstrips per region developed to market our agricultural products in Europe and the Americas,” he noted.
Akena emphasised that functional export hubs would provide farmers with access to international markets, enabling them to earn better prices for their produce.
“We need to promote nutrition-sensitive agriculture. The revival of export hubs per region would address challenges facing farmers, including limited market access and low prices for their products.”
Akena said connecting farmers to global markets would increase export earnings and improve livelihoods.