Uganda: Members of Parliament (MPs), Minister Engola Ponder How to solve Karamoja’s Hunger Cycle

Members of Parliament and Minister for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees Sam Engola have questioned how Uganda can break Karamoja’s recurring hunger cycle, with calls for a shift from emergency food distribution to irrigation, commercial agriculture, water infrastructure and other long-term interventions. Appearing before Parliament’s Presidential Affairs Committee on Wednesday, 16 September 2026, Engola said the current food intervention was necessary to save lives but could not provide a lasting solution to a problem that has persisted for about 40 years. “The problem of Karamoja, which is 40 years, is very easy to finish, but there is no sitting where people sit and plan for Karamoja,” Engola told the committee. He said government had secured Shs45 billion from the Consolidated Fund for the emergency food response after he presented a 16-page Cabinet memorandum, adding that there was still a balance after food had been supplied to all districts in Karamoja. The Minister said his long-term ideas include building silos, expanding irrigation and improving water infrastructure, arguing that Karamoja’s population could produce food if the necessary infrastructure was provide