Audit how much govt has achieved in Karamoja
Oct 27, 2008
<b>By Julius Mishambi </b><br><br>I could not hide my joy when reading Nabusayi Wamboka’s article titled “Karamoja’s story no longer a sad one†and that of Stanlake Samkange titled, “WFP shifts from aid to food production†in the New Vision of October 16, 2008.
By Julius Mishambi
I could not hide my joy when reading Nabusayi Wamboka’s article titled “Karamoja’s story no longer a sad one†and that of Stanlake Samkange titled, “WFP shifts from aid to food production†in the New Vision of October 16, 2008.
Beyond lawlessness, semi-arid conditions, cattle rustling and gun trafficking, there is hope for the region. Karamoja must overcome past neglect by the colonial and post-colonial Governments in Uganda. It is a shame that Uganda’s economy grows at seven percent annually while the socio-economic indicators such as literacy levels are about 40% in Karamoja compared to the national rate of 68%.
The approximate distance to a health facility is about six kilometres, two kilometres longer than the national average.
We need to audit how much the Government interventions in Karamoja have achieved. These include:
- The Karamoja Emergency Reform that started in 1981
The People’s militia forces in districts adjacent to Karamoja (1982-84)
- The Karamoja Development Programme (1 and 2)
- The Ministry of State for Karamoja
- The Presidential Initiative for Karamoja (2001) The Northern Uganda Social Action Fund (NUSAF-2004).
- The Peace Recovery and Development Programme (PRDP-2006) and the Karamoja Integrated Disarmament and Development Programme (KIDDP II of 2007). The Karamoja Agro-pastoral Development, Save the Children, Dan Church Aid, the European Union and the World Food Programme, supplemented the above government interventions. Interestingly, the region still has the worst development indicators.
Although the UPDF disarmament exercise has been successful, with 27,000 illegal recovered from the cattle rustlers (karacunas) since 2001, peace and development in Karamoja is futile.
We need to provide security and viable alternative livelihood sources for people that have hitherto survived on the mischief of the gun.
It is also urgent to support agricultural production through communities adopting water harvesting techniques out of Karamoja’s torrential rains.
Agricultural transformation has been possible in Israel with worse desert conditions and the same can happen in Karamoja. We need a forum for all players in Karamoja to come together to harmonise interventions and rationalise resources. Only then can crop production programmes achieve legitimacy and wider outreach.
It is vital to understand the pastoral way of life and integrate it into the national and regional development paradigms. How do we build on the case where Moroto district pastoralists already earn about sh2b shillings monthly out of sale of animals? There is need to establish whether this money goes to replenish the illicit gun stock or not? All players should work towards supporting a savings culture, education and investment in the region.
The pastoral production system should be supported with development strategies like NAADS and demonstration farms.
The demonstration gardens at Namalu and Matany Catholic Parish would be a starting point. There is also need to invest in fast maturing crops and soil conservation.
In all, Karamoja boasts of rich minerals, amarula trees, over 44,224 tones of acacia plant species (worth sh82b), aloe vera and Gum Arabic (sh121b). These crops have potential to generate billions of shillings in revenue per year.
Concerted effort to tap this potential will enable Karamoja to feed itself and bring about equitable national development.
The writer is a development worker
I could not hide my joy when reading Nabusayi Wamboka’s article titled “Karamoja’s story no longer a sad one†and that of Stanlake Samkange titled, “WFP shifts from aid to food production†in the New Vision of October 16, 2008.
Beyond lawlessness, semi-arid conditions, cattle rustling and gun trafficking, there is hope for the region. Karamoja must overcome past neglect by the colonial and post-colonial Governments in Uganda. It is a shame that Uganda’s economy grows at seven percent annually while the socio-economic indicators such as literacy levels are about 40% in Karamoja compared to the national rate of 68%.
The approximate distance to a health facility is about six kilometres, two kilometres longer than the national average.
We need to audit how much the Government interventions in Karamoja have achieved. These include:
- The Karamoja Emergency Reform that started in 1981
The People’s militia forces in districts adjacent to Karamoja (1982-84)
- The Karamoja Development Programme (1 and 2)
- The Ministry of State for Karamoja
- The Presidential Initiative for Karamoja (2001) The Northern Uganda Social Action Fund (NUSAF-2004).
- The Peace Recovery and Development Programme (PRDP-2006) and the Karamoja Integrated Disarmament and Development Programme (KIDDP II of 2007). The Karamoja Agro-pastoral Development, Save the Children, Dan Church Aid, the European Union and the World Food Programme, supplemented the above government interventions. Interestingly, the region still has the worst development indicators.
Although the UPDF disarmament exercise has been successful, with 27,000 illegal recovered from the cattle rustlers (karacunas) since 2001, peace and development in Karamoja is futile.
We need to provide security and viable alternative livelihood sources for people that have hitherto survived on the mischief of the gun.
It is also urgent to support agricultural production through communities adopting water harvesting techniques out of Karamoja’s torrential rains.
Agricultural transformation has been possible in Israel with worse desert conditions and the same can happen in Karamoja. We need a forum for all players in Karamoja to come together to harmonise interventions and rationalise resources. Only then can crop production programmes achieve legitimacy and wider outreach.
It is vital to understand the pastoral way of life and integrate it into the national and regional development paradigms. How do we build on the case where Moroto district pastoralists already earn about sh2b shillings monthly out of sale of animals? There is need to establish whether this money goes to replenish the illicit gun stock or not? All players should work towards supporting a savings culture, education and investment in the region.
The pastoral production system should be supported with development strategies like NAADS and demonstration farms.
The demonstration gardens at Namalu and Matany Catholic Parish would be a starting point. There is also need to invest in fast maturing crops and soil conservation.
In all, Karamoja boasts of rich minerals, amarula trees, over 44,224 tones of acacia plant species (worth sh82b), aloe vera and Gum Arabic (sh121b). These crops have potential to generate billions of shillings in revenue per year.
Concerted effort to tap this potential will enable Karamoja to feed itself and bring about equitable national development.
The writer is a development worker