Exclusive: Karamoja is on a time bomb as ongoing drought spell destroys all food crops

Residents of the Karamoja sub-region are afraid of the anticipated hunger due to the ongoing drought that has destroyed all food crops they had planted. #WhisperEyeNews

Crops like sorghum, maize, and sunflower have been burnt down and nothing to harvest. They now feed their animals like cattle, sheep and goats on these drying crops signaling tough times ahead.

The Secretary of Natopojo Village, Nakadeli Parish in Rupa Sub County – Moroto district Mr. Lokut Lazaru told Whisper Eye News that they expect no harvest this season.

“All crops are destroyed by harsh sunshine. We expect no harvest,” says Mr Lokut.

“We appeal to the government for help. We’re managing small model gardens trying to irrigate crops, but we collect water from boreholes which makes it too difficult,” he added.

Karamoja sub-region experiences a semi-arid climate associated with long drought spells which cause havoc year in and year out.

It’s estimated that the sub-region has a population of 1.2 million people. Surprisingly the population of Karamoja is young with the average age being 15 years (Census 2014). Out of the total population of 1.2 million people, half are females.