Over 270 Girls Rescued in Agago After Migrating for Food and Work

Leaders from Agago District and Kotido District have collaborated to rescue more than 274 school-going girls who had migrated to Agago in search of food and casual labour. The girls, aged between five and 16 years, had scattered across several sub-counties, including Lapirin, Adani, Odokomit, and Acuru, where they were working in gardens in exchange for food or small payments.

According to local leaders, the children, mainly from Rikitia and Lodera villages in Panyagara Sub-county in Kotido, were hired to dig gardens for about 4,000 shillings per day, and in some cases were paid in sorghum. The matter was discussed by the Agago District Security Committee, which resolved that the girls should be returned home to prevent exploitation and safeguard their future.

James Nabinson Kidega, the Resident District Commissioner of Agago, said the girls were among more than 500 women and children who had travelled from Kotido to seek casual labour but were left stranded without adequate food, medical care, or other basic needs. Kidega said Agago authorities contacted Kotido leaders, who agreed to take the children back.

“With support from the division commanders of the 5th and 3rd divisions, we secured transport to return these women and children safely to Kotido,” Kidega said. He added that the group was transported on Sunday in military vehicles provided by the Uganda People’s Defence Force and escorted to Kotido District Headquarters, where they were handed over to district leaders.

Kidega attributed the movement of children and women to poverty and urged leaders in both Acholi and Karamoja regions to address the underlying economic challenges.

According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) 2023/24 Household Survey released in May 2025, Karamoja is Uganda’s poorest region, with poverty rising to 74.2% from 65%. The Chairperson of Kotido District, Paul Lote Komol, said the district leadership has already petitioned the national government for humanitarian support to address food shortages in Karamoja.

Komol said he had written to the Prime Minister and the Minister for Disaster Preparedness requesting emergency food aid to support vulnerable children and families affected by hunger. He noted that the shortage of food threatens the ability of families to participate in the upcoming planting season.

Meanwhile, efforts to rescue vulnerable children are also ongoing in other parts of Karamoja. In February 2026, authorities in Napak District began implementing a 2022 district council resolution to rescue street-connected children from Kampala and other urban centres. 

Since 2024, at least 682 children have been rescued and rehabilitated to benefit from the government’s Universal Primary Education programme. However, officials estimate that about 3,000 children are still living on the streets and awaiting rescue.