12 starve to death in Amuria
Jul 16, 2009
TWELVE people have starved to death in Amuria district in the last one month. The dead were identified as Lusi Idiamat, Kevina Ariokot, Francis Oriokot, Emmanuel Oponya, Isaac Otoori, Paula Ikwalareya, Moses Asabu, Paul Adwong, Opalan, Grace and seven-yea
By Daniel Edyegu
TWELVE people have starved to death in Amuria district in the last one month. The dead were identified as Lusi Idiamat, Kevina Ariokot, Francis Oriokot, Emmanuel Oponya, Isaac Otoori, Paula Ikwalareya, Moses Asabu, Paul Adwong, Opalan, Grace and seven-year-old Scovia Atim .
A total of 27 others are suffering from vomiting and diarrhoea after eating toxic cassava. Fourteen of those are admitted at Acowa health centre, nine of whom are from the same family.
Steven Eyaru, a farmer at Ocor village in Acowa sub-county, on Tuesday told MPs on the parliamentary committee of agriculture and the Teso parliamentary group, that people had resorted to eating cassava with a high cyanide content due to food shortage.
“Most of this cassava was planted between August last year and May this year and is supposed to be harvested in one- and-a-half years.
“But people lack food and are uprooting it prematurely. Besides, the price of dry cassava chips has risen from sh3,000 to sh15,000 per basin,†Eyaru said.
Eyaru rubbished recent claims by the agriculture state minister, Henry Bagiire, that the starvation in Teso was due to residents engaging in over-drinking. He said beer fests were a traditional form of celebrating good harvests.
“Where do you get millet or cassava to brew alcohol without harvests? Can drunkards open and plant vast acreage of land, like you have seen along the road scorched by the sunshine? You leaders must spare Iteso the insults. We cultivated crops but they dried during the drought that started in April,†Eyaru said.
The health centre information officer, Reuben Obwalatum, said the famine had led to an overwhelming rise in the number of patients seeking treatment for malnutrition.
“We normally put them on oral rehydration salts and discharge them. However, some insist on staying at the health centre because they do not have what to eat at home,†Obwalatum said.
Wetlands and water sources have dried up, making it difficult to water animals. Many boreholes and spring wells have either broken down or dried up.
Rose Anyait, a 32-year-old woman living with HIV/AIDS, said the famine had caused frequent absenteeism in schools and reduced the lifespan of people living with HIV.
“We are required to eat adequate food when on anti-retroviral drugs yet some families have nothing to eat. Patients end up dying faster from opportunistic illnesses,†Anyait said.
Ochen said the district authorities had resolved to suspend all cultural festivities until the famine was over, to avoid wastage of food.
“In case a person dies, he should be buried immediately to save food. Bride price has been suspended too. In-laws from either side should agree to settle it later,†he said.
Dr. Lastus Sserunjogi Katende, the vice chairman of the parliamentary agriculture committee, explained that parliament was assessing possible intervention to cover Kaberemaido, Kumi, Soroti, Katakwi and Bukedea districts.
TWELVE people have starved to death in Amuria district in the last one month. The dead were identified as Lusi Idiamat, Kevina Ariokot, Francis Oriokot, Emmanuel Oponya, Isaac Otoori, Paula Ikwalareya, Moses Asabu, Paul Adwong, Opalan, Grace and seven-year-old Scovia Atim .
A total of 27 others are suffering from vomiting and diarrhoea after eating toxic cassava. Fourteen of those are admitted at Acowa health centre, nine of whom are from the same family.
Steven Eyaru, a farmer at Ocor village in Acowa sub-county, on Tuesday told MPs on the parliamentary committee of agriculture and the Teso parliamentary group, that people had resorted to eating cassava with a high cyanide content due to food shortage.
“Most of this cassava was planted between August last year and May this year and is supposed to be harvested in one- and-a-half years.
“But people lack food and are uprooting it prematurely. Besides, the price of dry cassava chips has risen from sh3,000 to sh15,000 per basin,†Eyaru said.
Eyaru rubbished recent claims by the agriculture state minister, Henry Bagiire, that the starvation in Teso was due to residents engaging in over-drinking. He said beer fests were a traditional form of celebrating good harvests.
“Where do you get millet or cassava to brew alcohol without harvests? Can drunkards open and plant vast acreage of land, like you have seen along the road scorched by the sunshine? You leaders must spare Iteso the insults. We cultivated crops but they dried during the drought that started in April,†Eyaru said.
The health centre information officer, Reuben Obwalatum, said the famine had led to an overwhelming rise in the number of patients seeking treatment for malnutrition.
“We normally put them on oral rehydration salts and discharge them. However, some insist on staying at the health centre because they do not have what to eat at home,†Obwalatum said.
Wetlands and water sources have dried up, making it difficult to water animals. Many boreholes and spring wells have either broken down or dried up.
Rose Anyait, a 32-year-old woman living with HIV/AIDS, said the famine had caused frequent absenteeism in schools and reduced the lifespan of people living with HIV.
“We are required to eat adequate food when on anti-retroviral drugs yet some families have nothing to eat. Patients end up dying faster from opportunistic illnesses,†Anyait said.
Ochen said the district authorities had resolved to suspend all cultural festivities until the famine was over, to avoid wastage of food.
“In case a person dies, he should be buried immediately to save food. Bride price has been suspended too. In-laws from either side should agree to settle it later,†he said.
Dr. Lastus Sserunjogi Katende, the vice chairman of the parliamentary agriculture committee, explained that parliament was assessing possible intervention to cover Kaberemaido, Kumi, Soroti, Katakwi and Bukedea districts.