Uganda’s Prime Minister, Robinah Nabbanja
Government has said some photos making rounds on social media of malnourished children in Karamoja are fake photos picked from other countries and aren’t an entire reflection of the situation in the famine hit sub-region.
The revelation was made by Uganda’s Prime Minister, Robinah Nabbanja during Tuesday’s plenary sitting.
“When you see some of these photos, there is a photo as if a mother is burning a baby, that photo has been in the media for over four years; it is from Sudan. Yes we have been told so, you have to be careful,” Nabbanja said.
Her remarks were in response to a statement by Speaker Among who urged Government to come up with a long lasting solution towards the famine in Karamoja and other parts of the country, saying the continued lamentations on these issues are denting Uganda’s image.
“The plight of our people in famine stricken areas like Karamoja is a scar on the conscience of this country, we have seen so many starving people, malnourished people and I think government needs to come out clearly on how to handle this issue,” Among said.
The Speaker also called for sensitization within residents in Karamoja to shift focus to food growing and not only cattle keeping in order to avoid similar deaths in the near future.
“And at the same time, we also need to do a mindset change of our people. The people think they should only live on cattle, but you can not only live on cattle only, you need to encourage them to do farming and if we don’t do that, we will continue lamenting and people are dying and malnourished. When you look at pictures on social media, you will not want to look at them again,” added the Speaker.
Agnes Nandutu, State Minister for Karamoja Affairs informed Parliament that Government had already sent food to Karamoja but urged the politicians to urge to encourage the Karamojongs to give up their guns so as to foster security in the region, saying the famine in the area was worsened by insecurity that deterred locals from food production.
She said, the issue of Karamoja has been going on, on social media indeed pictures are disheartening but as Government, we have already taken over the situation. As you are aware there has been drought, but also insecurity, for the whole year, the people of Karamoja haven’t been going to the garden which caused food shortage in Karamoja.”
The Minister added, “And therefore, the army has been doing its work and my request to the leaders in Karamoja is support the security to do their work and rid Karamoja of guns such that there is security in the area so that we are able to embark on the production of food.”
Anthony Akol (Kilak North) asked Speaker to institute a select Committee to investigate matters in Karamoja after reports emerged that some mothers have been forced to sell off their children in exchange for food.
However, Premier rubbished these reports of mothers selling off their children saying it is against the maternal instincts remarking, “It is an abuse for one to say you can sell your child, for me a feel even if a mother is mad, the last thing a mother can do is to give in his or her child. I want to tell you that Government and the leaders from Karamoja are on top of the game.”
The report comes at the time last week, lawmakers from Karamoja region revealed that 580 people had lost their lives in four districts in Karamoja region due to hunger and starvation.
