Kotido District has a population of about 219,700 people, with officials estimating that more than 45,600 households have been severely affected hunger caused by the prolonged dry spell.
Emmanuel Oyuku, the Kotido Chief Administrative Officer said reports from sub-county authorities indicate that at least 15 people have died from hunger-related causes.
By Alexander Mackey Okori
The hunger situation in Kotido district has reached alarming levels, with 15 people reported to have died from suspected hunger-related illnesses since June following prolonged drought that has scorched crops farmers had planted during the first season.
According to the authorities the deaths have been recorded in sub-counties of Napumpum, Longaroe, Maaru and Rengen, which are worst hit.
Kotido District has a population of about 219,700 people, with officials estimating that more than 45,600 households have been severely affected hunger caused by the prolonged dry spell.
Emmanuel Oyuku, the Kotido Chief Administrative Officer said reports from sub-county authorities indicate that at least 15 people have died from hunger-related causes.
District Chairperson Paul Lote Komol described the situation as a humanitarian emergency that has crippled livelihoods across all sub-counties.
He appealed to the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) to urgently provide food assistance before more lives are lost.
Ilukol Lokutan, the Chairperson for Persons with Disabilities in Kapeta Sub-County, cited PWDs, Children and the elderly as the most affected group.
He called on the government and other development partners to intervene and support the affected households with relief food items to cope with the acute hunger.
Daniel Alex Kolia, the LCIII Chairperson for Kacheri Town Council called on development partners operating in the district and other parts of Karamoja Sub-county to focus their activities towards addressing the current food crisis.
“The issue of hunger is now a disaster, and I call upon NGOs to change their programs to first rescue the situation in Karamoja,” Kolia urged.
He is worried that the situation if not addressed will trigger renewed cattle raids in the community.
Sam Richard Erechu, the Kotido District Production Officer said 5,000 hectares of crops worth Shs200 billion have been destroyed by the ongoing dry spell across the 19 Sub Counties, leaving hundreds of facing hunger.
Erechu noted that the affected gardens comprises groundnuts, maize, sim-sim, sorghum, millet, green gram, sunflower and vegetables among others.
When converted into cash, the drought has caused a loss of over 200 billion shillings to farmers who had invested their savings into farming.
According to Erechu, the lengthy period of drought begun in March immediately after what was thought to be the onset of the rainy season.
Currently, farmers are left in desperation as the hot sun has not spared any crop in the gardens including vegetables for the families to survive on.
He explains that the data is set to be forwarded to the Office of the Prime Minister for possible support.
Erechu has however urged the public to remain calm as they wait for a response from the Ministry of Disaster Preparedness and Refugees for possible relief.
Meanwhile, the District Agricultural Officer Robert Kennedy Okuda said rainfall during both the March-May season and the current season was significantly below normal, resulting in widespread crop failure.
He said that the current hunger has led to an increase in food prices in various markets across the district, forcing locals to sell livestock at a cheap price in order to get money for buying food items.
