AGAGO DISTRICT, Uganda – In response to the escalating hunger crisis in Agago District, the Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. Robinah Nabbanja, alongside fellow ministers, has officially dispatched relief food to support affected households.
The food supplies, generously donated by Pastor Kakande Ministries, serve as a crucial intervention for Agago, a district now facing severe food insecurity. The situation is considered comparable to the crisis in the neighboring Karamoja sub-region, where drought and crop failure have left hundreds of thousands in need of emergency assistance .
Agago has been grappling with persistent food shortages driven by multiple factors, including prolonged dry spells, severe flooding that has submerged farmlands, and destruction of crops by elephants from Kidepo Valley National Park . These challenges have contributed to acute malnutrition, with the district reportedly having the highest malnutrition burden in the Acholi sub-region . The situation has also led to extreme coping measures, including mothers abandoning their children due to hunger and school-going children migrating in search of food .
The government's intervention, which had previously been flagged for Karamoja, has now been extended to include neighboring districts like Agago and Kitgum . The relief supplies are part of a broader emergency response to the growing food crisis in northern Uganda. While the Karamoja relief operation is being handled by the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) and the Uganda Prisons Service to ensure efficiency and accountability, the dispatch of Pastor Kakande's donation represents a collaborative effort involving government and private donors .
The Office of the Prime Minister has reiterated its commitment to ensuring that no Ugandan loses their life to hunger and has called for the smooth distribution of the aid to reach the intended beneficiaries.
