Gov’t Rolls Out Emergency Food Relief for Karamoja Households

Thousands of families across Karamoja who have watched their crops fail after months of prolonged dry weather are set to receive emergency food relief as the government moves to avert a worsening hunger crisis in the sub-region. 

The Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) on Monday launched a relief operation targeting 313,987 households across the nine districts of Karamoja after the prolonged dry spell severely affected agricultural production and left many families with dwindling food supplies.

The government will distribute 9,419,610 kilograms of relief food—comprising maize flour and dry beans—to households in 480 parishes, with the exercise expected to begin immediately. The operation is being coordinated by the Office of the Prime Minister in partnership with the National Enterprise Corporation (NEC), the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), the Uganda Prisons Service, the Uganda Police Force and local governments to ensure the food reaches the intended beneficiaries.

Speaking while flagging off the relief supplies at NEC headquarters in Bugolobi, Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja said the government remains committed to protecting communities whose livelihoods have been devastated by the drought. She warned leaders and officials involved in the exercise against diverting relief food, saying anyone found abusing the programme would face the law.



Minister for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees Sam Engola appealed to political, religious and cultural leaders, civil society organisations and local communities to support the distribution exercise by promoting transparency and ensuring the food reaches the most vulnerable households. He said the relief programme is an emergency intervention intended to save lives as families wait for the next harvest.



Permanent Secretary Alex Kakooza said the government will continue monitoring food security across Karamoja and neighbouring districts while implementing both emergency assistance and long-term resilience programmes. He added that the Office of the Prime Minister is working with development partners to strengthen food security and livelihoods under the recently approved Karamoja Regional Development Plan. 

Karamoja has experienced repeated food crises for decades, driven by erratic rainfall, prolonged droughts, crop failure, livestock losses and widespread poverty. Although government and humanitarian interventions have helped reduce famine-related deaths in recent years, many households still depend almost entirely on rain-fed agriculture, leaving them highly vulnerable to climate shocks. 

The latest dry spell has significantly reduced harvests, depleted household food stocks and heightened fears that thousands of families could face severe hunger before the next planting season. Based on the figures released by the Office of the Prime Minister, each of the 313,987 households is expected to receive an average of 30 kilograms of relief food, although the government has not yet indicated how the allocation will be divided between maize flour and beans.