KABONG – The Minister for Karamoja Affairs, Hon. Lokii John Baptist, has convened a critical coordination meeting to finalise the rollout of emergency food relief to thousands of hungry families across the Karamoja Sub-region.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The meeting, held on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, in Kabong District, brought together government officials, district leaders, and representatives from the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF), the Uganda Police Force, and the Uganda Prisons Service.
The coordination meeting was convened in response to a directive from the President of Uganda, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, following a rapid assessment that confirmed the severity of food insecurity across Karamoja.
The extended dry spell has severely disrupted agricultural production, depleted household food stocks, and placed over 300,000 households at risk of hunger.
Minister John Baptist commended regional leaders for their swift and thorough assessment that directly informed the government’s timely response to the situation in Karamoja.
He noted that the report clearly established the extent of need across the sub-region and confirmed that food is now available for everyone, with a distribution matrix in place to ensure it reaches the most vulnerable households.
The Minister further stressed the importance of teamwork in routine monitoring and coordination and issued a firm warning that anyone found diverting or misappropriating relief supplies will face strict legal action.
“The assessment report has helped us to clearly establish the extent of the situation in the region. Food is now available for everyone in Karamoja, and we shall use the distribution matrix to ensure it reaches the most vulnerable people. Anyone found diverting or misappropriating the food will face legal action,” Minister noted.
The meeting resolved that food distribution would commence immediately after beneficiary lists and logistics are finalised, with similar coordination meetings to be held across all nine Karamoja districts to ensure uniform implementation.
The meeting was attended by district political and technical leaders, including the Dodoth North Member of Parliament, the Kabong Chief Administrative Officer, heads of departments, and representatives of security agencies.
The Minister has since directed Chief Administrative Officers (CAOs), Resident District Commissioners (RDCs), and security agencies to provide regular updates on the distribution exercise and ensure close monitoring of the process.
He additionally appealed to leaders at all levels to ramp up community mobilisation and sensitisation campaigns, encouraging beneficiaries to make prudent and responsible use of the relief food.
The National Enterprise Corporation (NEC) has been contracted to deliver a total of 9,419,790 kilograms of relief food, comprising maize flour and dry beans, for distribution across all nine districts of Karamoja.
The emergency food relief, flagged off on Monday by the Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. Robinah Nabbanja, is targeting 313,987 households across 480 parishes, ensuring comprehensive coverage of the affected communities.
The people of Karamoja can finally look forward to tangible relief as the region grapples with the harsh effects of one of the most prolonged and severe dry spells in recent memory.
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