Cecilia Kambabazi, the Assistant Community Services Officer in the Office of the Prime Minister, also recognizes the lack of safe spaces for mental health treatment and counseling sessions.
Sister Grace Angelina Aciro, the Superior General of the congregation told Uganda Radio Network Wednesday that structures at the convent have been condemned by engineers and are no longer safe for sisters.
Abraham Nangiro, the Napak District Agricultural Officer, says that the communities should consider starting up kitchen gardens for vegetables to improve food security instead of sitting to wait for relief support.
However the district officials have advised the residents to make the best use of the available water sources such as boreholes to grow vegetables in order to rescue the hunger situation and avert malnutrition.
The researchers who are led by scientists at the Economic Policy Research Center (EPRC) say they plan to develop a tool that uses USSD codes and can be used by both smart and feature phone users to seek information or offer alerts on what’s happening in the community and get swift feedback.
For three months, Layet and her family had to endure tough living conditions in Adilang Town Council trading center, some nine kilometers away from their village home where they sought refuge. Even when she returned home recently, Layet says she barely has enough food to feed herself and the family and notes that they don’t feel safe.
A significant number of people from villages like Naput in Rupa Sub-County, Kidepo, and Atedeoi in Lotisan Sub-County are migrating to urban areas and mining sites to work as casual laborers to make a living.
Asunta Napeyok, a farmer in Longaroi village, Lotome Sub County explained that when the rains started, they planted a lot of crops with hopes of getting a good harvest all in vain due to the harsh weather.
The communities now burn charcoal and cut firewood to exchange with local brew residue as food since they cannot afford the food sold from the market.
John Bosco Kyaligonza, the Refugee Desk Officer for Lamwo District revealed that they are currently transporting the refugees to other refugee settlements in Arua and Adjumani where there are still available spaces.
In its 25th annual report presented to Parliament, UHRC Chairperson Mariam Wangadya emphasized the need for the Ministry of Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, under the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), to prioritize early warning signs of drought as a means of mitigating the dire situation.
According to Amere, their findings indicate that iron sheets were not delivered as intended while only 30 percent of the beneficiaries received the goats, and yet the money was spent.
Speaker Among made the announcement during plenary sitting on Wednesday after she was implicated alongside other senior ministers for wrongfully benefitting from over 12,000 iron sheets destined for Karamoja region under the affirmative action programme.
According to the LC V chairpersons, while at Morulinga State Lodge last year, President Museveni promised to procure over 200 tractors for distribution to each sub-county across the nine districts and two municipalities in the region.
The residents say the ongoing drought has worsened the hunger situation forcing them to resort to environmentally degrading activities to get income for buying food. The leaves from the tree can be used as sauce.
Condemning the diversion of relief items, the elders said the minister must apologize before them if she is to survive curses. John Bosco Akore, secretary to Kotido Elder’s Council told URN that they had already prophesied the theft before it was known.
Minister Mary Gorreti Kitutu is on the spot for allegedly diverting iron sheets that were procured to support the vulnerable groups, Interest groups, Institutions and Reformed Warriors in Karamoja Region. The iron sheets were instead found in the home of the minister's mother during an operation mounted by the Internal Security Organisation (ISO), the Police and the State House Anti-Corruption Unit in Namisindwa district.
David Koryang, the LC V chairperson for Moroto district noted that it is ineffective to give district chairpersons only 500 iron sheets for the entire district, and MPs who cover small constituencies are given more.
However the decision for the members of parliament to be part of the distribution exercise has angered the district chairpersons who fear that the donation may not reach the intended beneficiaries.
Emmanuel Lodio, the Kotido district speaker told Uganda Radio Network that the hunger situation in the district it forcing people to flee trying to look for survival somewhere else.
Moses Luyima, the Kooki Culture Health Minister, who is also coordinating the district emergency response team, says that their field visit to the affected communities has established that the majority of the victims lost all their properties and are currently facing starvation due to the lack of food.
Moureen Wagubi, the Executive Director of the Institute for Social Transformation (IST), a women’s right organization says food insecurity and poverty remains key challenges refugee women are facing that ends up resulting in GBV.
Albert Lodou, one of the pastoralists gathered in the area says that at the moment they are surviving on animal blood mixed with milk as the only source of food. But he is concerned that the practice of piercing animals for blood is affecting the health of the cows.
