At least 19,833 households in Karenga District are set to benefit from a government initiative to boost agricultural production, improve household incomes and fight poverty and hunger.
The Government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), has distributed 19,833 hand hoes to the district, with each household expected to receive one.
The hoes, valued at approximately Shs297.5 million, were delivered to the district headquarters before the distribution exercise was officially launched by the Minister of Ethics and Integrity and Karenga District Woman MP, Rose Lilly Akello, in Kapedo Sub-county.
The initial distribution covered communities in Kapedo Parish, with the exercise expected to extend to Kakwanga, Kawalakol, Labalangit, Sangara, Karenga and Lakori sub-counties, as well as Kapedo, Karenga and Kidepo town councils.
The initiative covers seven sub-counties and three town councils.
Speaking at the launch, Minister Akello said the programme is intended to improve agricultural productivity while empowering households to produce enough food and improve their livelihoods.
“Please use the hoes to increase productivity and fight poverty,” she said.
She thanked President Museveni for supporting empowerment initiatives aimed at improving the livelihoods of people in the Karamoja Sub-region.
Akello also urged parents to prioritise education and stop using school-going children to graze cattle.
She directed the Resident District Commissioner (RDC) and police to arrest parents who keep their children out of school to look after animals.
“I appeal to the community to take their children to school. Parents who keep their children out of school to graze animals must stop,” she said.
She further called on LC III and LC I leaders, as well as kraal leaders, to support the initiative and ensure its successful implementation, noting that children are the future of the country.
Karenga RDC Peter Taban Data said sub-county chiefs across the Karamoja Sub-region had been guided on how to distribute the agricultural tools to ensure fairness and transparency.
He cautioned the officials against favouritism, saying the hoes should only be given to eligible households within the respective communities.
“Avoid giving these hoes to your friends and relatives who are not from the parishes. Only consider people within your community and ensure that each household receives a hoe,” Taban said.
He also warned beneficiaries against selling the hoes or exchanging them for alcohol, urging them to put the tools to productive use, particularly during the planting season.
“Don’t sell the hoes. Use them in your gardens,” he said.
Taban further encouraged farmers to embrace mixed farming by growing different crops instead of relying on a single crop, saying this would improve household food diversity and security.
“Don’t plant only one crop. Have a variety so that we can have a mix of food items,” he said.
Dodoth West MP Ben Baatom Koryang said the initiative would help households increase food production, improve incomes and contribute to the government’s efforts to eradicate poverty and hunger.
“This initiative will help our households increase food production and improve household incomes. Let us use this support to fight poverty in Karenga,” he said.
Gen Michael Walaka Hyeroba said the distribution was part of the government’s broader efforts to economically empower communities while strengthening security in the Karamoja Sub-region.
He said sustainable peace required more than security interventions, urging residents to embrace agriculture as a means of improving livelihoods and preventing conflict.
“Food security is national security. Let us all embrace agriculture as a pathway to peace and prosperity,” Gen Hyeroba said.
“We cannot keep the peace with guns alone. True peace comes when every household has food on the table. I call upon you to put these tools to work, educate your children, and abandon cattle rustling for productive farming,” he added.
