Government officials have said ongoing development programmes are steadily transforming Uganda’s Karamoja sub-region, citing improvements in agriculture, education, and investment opportunities.
The Minister for Karamoja Affairs, Peter Lokeris, said the region has made notable progress due to several government interventions.
“Karamoja is changing, and we are glad that the government has put in place many development projects to transform the sub-region,” Lokeris said while appearing on the Front Bench programme on Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC) television on Monday. “We are not yet there, but we are no longer where we used to be.”
Lokeris noted that government support to agriculture has significantly improved livelihoods in the region, where farming remains the main economic activity.
“Agriculture remains the main source of income and a vital means of sustaining families,” he said. “It is playing a central role in improving the living conditions of the people.”
He also pointed to improved security in the sub-region.
“When we say Karamoja is peaceful, we mean it is different from what it was before. If we continue implementing our plans, we will move even further ahead. Everything has a beginning,” Lokeris added.
The Minister of State for Karamoja Affairs, Florence Nambozo Wamala, who appeared on the programme alongside Lokeris, said the progress made over the years is gradually changing the image of the region and attracting investment.
“Karamoja is the next investment destination,” Nambozo said. “Children are now seeing factories being established, something that was unheard of in the sub-region a few years ago.”
She described Karamoja as one of Uganda’s resource-rich regions and highlighted ongoing efforts to secure land ownership for communities, supported by the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development.
“The ministry is supporting communities to register their land,” she said.
Nambozo also pointed to improvements in education, with more schools being built across the sub-region. She noted that the Karamoja Feed Karamoja school feeding programme has encouraged more children to remain in school.
“Many children now want to go to school,” she said. “Many people have attained university education and are contributing to the area’s development.”
Meanwhile, the Programme Officer for Karamoja Affairs in the Office of the Prime Minister, Peter Amodoi, emphasised the importance of the Karamoja Regional Development Plan in sustaining progress.
“Karamoja is the only sub-region in Uganda with a Regional Development Plan, and if it is fully implemented, it will accelerate transformation even further,” Amodoi said.
