Засуха в Котидо унесла жизни 15 человек и лишила урожая тысячи домохозяйств

KOTIDO’S SILENT KILLER! 15 Dead as Drought Wipes Out Crops, Thousands Face Starvation in Kotido At least 15 people have died from suspected hunger-related illnesses in Kotido District following a prolonged drought that devastated crops and left thousands of households facing acute food shortages. District authorities say the deaths have been recorded since June in several sub-counties, including Napumpum, Longaroe, Maru and Rengen, as the food crisis worsens across the district. Kotido District has a population of about 219,700 people, with officials estimating that more than 45,600 households have been severely affected by the prolonged dry spell. Kotido Chief Administrative Officer Emmanuel Oyuku said reports from sub-county authorities indicate that at least 15 people have died from hunger-related causes. “The figures are alarming, and this calls for urgent action to address and fight the hunger crisis,” Oyuku said. He urged local leaders, development partners and communities to promote better food storage practices, saying many households sell most of their harvest immediately after the growing season, leaving them vulnerable when crops fail. According to Oyuku, the district has recorded relatively good harvests in recent years, but many farmers sold their produce with the expectation that government or humanitarian agencies would provide relief whenever food shortages occurred. “The mindset must change. Communities should keep food reserves instead of selling everything and relying on well-wishers during periods of hunger,” he said. District Chairperson Paul Lote Komol described the situation as a humanitarian emergency that has crippled livelihoods across all sub-counties. He appealed to the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) to urgently provide food assistance before more lives are lost. “The communities can no longer fend for themselves and deaths linked to hunger have already started emerging. We appeal to the Office of the Prime Minister to intervene before the situation gets out of hand,” Lote said. He said the drought had destroyed virtually all food crops, leaving little hope for a second planting season because many families had exhausted both their resources and physical strength. Lote also urged communities to preserve part of their harvest instead of selling it immediately after harvesting. However, farmers defended the practice, saying crop sales are often their only source of income. Robert Iriama, a farmer from Panyangara Sub-county, said families sell produce to pay school fees, meet medical expenses and purchase household necessities. “You cannot stop someone from selling food after harvest because we also need money to fight poverty. The challenge is that we have very few alternative sources of income,” he said. Another farmer, John Lokiru, said many households rely on selling sorghum to buy other essential food items and basic household needs. Local leaders attributed the crisis primarily to the prolonged drought rather than poor farming practices. Elijah Lobur, the LCIII Chairperson of Rengen Sub-county, said the area is witnessing increasing deaths among elderly people and malnourished children as food supplies continue to dwindle. “Everyone is vulnerable, but there are families that have nowhere to turn. Some remain in their homes until they die,” he said. District Agricultural Officer Robert Kennedy Okuda said rainfall during both the March-May season and the current season was significantly below normal, resulting in widespread crop failure. According to the district’s assessments, about 87 per cent of crops were lost, translating into an estimated economic loss of about Shs56 billion. Okuda said the crisis demonstrates the urgent need to invest in irrigation and water for production instead of relying almost entirely on increasingly unpredictable rainfall. Resident District Commissioner Charles Ichogor said the hunger crisis has also affected implementation of government programmes, including the Parish Development Model (PDM). “When we visit communities to monitor PDM, people tell us they are hungry. It becomes difficult to discuss anything else,” he said. Ichogor said the district also needs sustained community sensitisation on climate change adaptation as extreme weather events become more frequent. The Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) said it has strengthened disaster preparedness in Karamoja by training district disaster management committees to conduct rapid assessments and improve emergency response. Senior Disaster Management Officer Titas Muhofa said OPM is decentralising disaster response by establishing regional offices in Soroti, Gulu, Hoima and Mbarara to shorten response times during emergencies. The crisis comes as the wider Karamoja sub-region continues to face severe food insecurity following prolonged drought. According to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis conducted between March and April 2026, about 32 per cent of Karamoja’s population was classified in IPC Phase 3 (Crisis) as of May 2026, while a further 41,000 people, about three per cent of the population, were in IPC Phase 4 (Emergency). Officials say immediate food relief is needed to prevent further loss of life, but stress that long-term solutions will require greater investment in irrigation, climate-resilient agriculture and improved household food storage. GOT A HOT STORY? LET US KNOW! Got breaking news, explosive secrets, or hard evidence? 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