KAMPALA – The MPs on the Parliamentary forum on social protection want the government to respond to the famine issue in the Karamoja sub-region as it handled the Covid situation.
“Support the famine situation like the way covid was handled otherwise we will continue to lose people as we delay to respond,” chairperson of the committee, Flavia Kabahenda said.
She also said they want the SAGE policy reviewed to include all the older persons of Uganda so that all the older persons are registered and don’t miss out on social services. She added that when food is distributed, the energetic people are the ones who get it while the older since are weak end up being left out.
Oyam District woman MP, Sandra Alum Santa said the issue of famine was always known to ravage the Karamoja sub-region, today things have since changed with several other regions feeling the pinch and urged the government to come up with quick solutions to avert the problem from spreading.
“By the way, most of the regions are suffering but they are just silencing yet they are starving as a result of the countrywide dry spell,” said Santa.
Jonam county MP, Emmanuel Ongiertho called on the government to intervene as fast as possible because even his constituency people have no food. “As MPs, we continue to get calls from our people for help because there is no food for them to eat,” noted Ongiertho.
Bugabula County’s Henry Kibalya wondered why there is no irrigation system in Karamoja yet parliament appropriated funds for irrigation and solar panels to pump water to Karamoja sub-region.
He also noted that most of the people dying of starvation are the older, feeding mothers and children and therefore government needs to have a special program to target these categories when distributing food because they are the ones dying.
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