The Bokora County Member of Parliament, Terrence Acia, has described the current famine in the Karamoja sub-region as a disaster.
Acia, whose constituency is located in Moroto district, the epicenter of the famine, urges government to immediately sent relief aid to the people of Karamoja.
His request is echoed by the Moroto LC5 chairperson, Peter Locap, who says his office has received several reports of people who have starved to death in recent weeks. He says the famine has forced the Karamojong, who are largely a pastoral community, to migrate to other districts in search of food and pasture for their animals.
Locap says the famine could have been averted and accuses the Prime Minister's office of a slow response to the problem.
The State Minister for Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, Musa Ecweru says government has received a comprehensive report on the famine, and is in the process of sourcing for funds to buy relief food. Ecweru blames the famine on crop failure caused by a prolonged drought.
