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Uganda: 3.5 Million Face Starvation
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New Vision (Kampala)
7 August 2008
Posted to the web 8 August 2008
Joyce Namutebi and Cyprian Musoke
Kampala
ABOUT 3.5 million people in Teso, Karamoja, parts of Lango, Acholi, West Nile and the cattle corridor are at risk of starvation as a result of crop failure, the Government announced yesterday.
The Minister for Relief and Disaster Preparedness, Tarsis Kabwegyere, said the region is also plagued by human illnesses, such as marasmus, diarrhoea, kwashiorkor and tuberculosis, and livestock diseases like East Coast Fever and foot-and-mouth disease.
Briefing Parliament about the food crisis in northern and north-eastern Uganda, the minister said he was concerned about the rising food prices. He singled out Karamoja as an area that needs urgent attention.
The minister attributed the food crisis to a number of factors, including drought, delayed rains and last year's floods, which saw 90% of the crops lost.
He observed that the disaster affected the already vulnerable communities that suffered insecurity, displacement, cattle rustling and drought for two decades.
"The planting season, which usually starts in March, was not blessed with rains in most parts of the region. Where some rains were received, planting started soon after but in April, the drought set in."
As a result, he said, crops had dried up and planting materials distributed to promote food security had gone to waste.
He reckons the region might remain food deficient until the next harvest, expected in July/August 2009.
In Moroto and Nakapiripirit, 18% of acute malnutrition was reported in April, according to FAO, the minister said.
Admissions in the major therapeutic feeding centre at Matany Hospital rose to 78 cases in June, up from 32 cases in May.
Kabwegyere pointed out that the World Food Programme, which complements the Government's efforts in providing relief, is also experiencing food shortages.
He said 43,067 metric tonnes of food were needed to feed the affected population from August to December, requiring $39m.
He noted that an inter-ministerial committee meeting in Jul, pointed out the need to put in place measures to tackle global warming and climate change.
During the debate, Oyam District Woman MP, Beatrice Lagada (NRM), said hailstorms had destroyed crops in her constituency and in the Lango region. She appealed to the Government to control the export of food to Sudan. She also questioned why Uganda, which is the source of the Nile, cannot engage in irrigation projects like Sudan and Egypt.
Oburu Grace (NRM) warned that Tororo would have no food by December because most of it is sold to people in Kenya.
Oyam South MP Isha Otto (FDC) accused the ministry of giving relief items to politicians who use it as a tool to undermine fellow politicians.
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Aruu MP Odonga Otto (FDC) wondered if the ministry had the capacity to detect adverse weather conditions two years ahead so that it could prepare beforehand instead of waiting for disaster to strike.
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| Copyright © 2008 New Vision. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections -- or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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