Fix roads, household poverty say voters in Moroto, Kotido

CITIZEN’S MANIFESTO

KARAMOJA - Karamoja is the only sub-region where the Government is still battling pockets of insecurity occasioned by cattle rustlers and other bandits.

However, according to the authorities and the voters in the districts of Moroto and Kotido, pacification efforts have largely achieved peace, and communities are embracing the prosperity trajectory.

Bordered by Kaabong district to the north, Kenya to the east, Amudat (south), Nakapiripirit (southwest), Napak (west) and Kotido (northwest), Moroto municipality is the main business hub of the region.

Yet for voters, the vantage position of Moroto municipality within the region, has not spared them challenges, such as cattle rustling, poor roads, household poverty and food insecurity, among others.

Moroto borders Kotido to the east, and it is part of the former Karamoja district, which existed at independence in 1962.

Under the 1974 provincial administration, the district was divided into three; north Karamoja, central Karamoja and south Karamoja. In 1980, the central and south Karamoja were merged and renamed Moroto.

The districts, with a combined population of about 32,3000, like any other local government in the country, have hinged their development push mostly on government financing, which is at times affected by budget cuts.

A UPDF officer on guard during a search for stolen cattle in Moroto. Residents says some innocent people have been unlawfully detained following the disarmament exercise.

Security question  

Challenges notwithstanding, the former resident district commissioner for Abim, Peter Logiro, said the National Resistance Movement (NRM) government has not disappointed them as a sub-region.

Logiro added: “It is only this government which has done all it can to ensure security in a region that has suffered instability since time immemorial.”

“In the area of infrastructure, development, and tarmacking of the road from Soroti to Moroto has been done. The Sironko-Moroto road has also been completed. Putting water infrastructure, especially for livestock, is a credit to the Government. Karamoja’s economy remains is linked with livestock. The Government has also embarked on a programme of setting up dams in all districts of Karamoja,” Logiro added.

To curb cattle rustling, Logiro said, security has decisively handled the menace of the guns in the hands of lawless youth, also known as Karachunas.

The introduction of government programmes, such as the Northern Uganda Social Action Fund (NUSAF1, NUSAF2, NUSAF3), he added, have also facilitated economic recovery within the region.

Logiro added that the NUSAF projects coupled with the latest anti-poverty initiatives, such as the Parish Development Model (PDM), Emyooga and Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) are not only revolutionising Moroto and Kotido, but the whole Karamoja sub-region.

“So, to build the economic base of the people of Karamoja, oxen and ox ploughs were given to households and then heifers were given to women groups. The challenge has been that there is a weak linkage between the knowledge base and how to manage these initiatives of the President at the community level,” he said.

Disarmament 

Samuel Pulkol from Rupa sub-county said: “Following the disarmament, there were people who were not engaged in the possession of firearms and rustling, but were arrested and to date, they have never been seen again.”

“They have never been tried in any court. We have never even heard from the Government about the matter, including their prosecution and possible release,’’ he added. School dropout and enrollment challenges are the other issues that Pulkol pointed out within the education sector.

To curb cattle rustling, Logiro said, security has decisively handled the menace of the guns in the hands of lawless youth, also known as Karachunas.

Healthcare gaps

Job Oualinga, a youth leader in Moroto, faulted the local authorities for not forwarding the views of the people to the responsible people, including the President. This trend, Oualinga added, has impeded service delivery.

“There are no drugs in health facilities. People have to travel to Moroto for medicine and treatment, but our leaders do not talk. Health centres are there, but health equipment and medicines are not,” he said.

According to Samuel Pulkol from Rupa sub-county, the challenges of voters in Moroto and Kotido also cut across the entire Karamoja region.

Pulkol added that they range from poverty, micro security challenges, lack of drugs in health facilities, limited secondary schools in the area, poor road network, food security, lack of safe and clean water, unemployment, power outages and land grabbing, among others.

Unemployment, poverty  

However, Logiro said: “What has to be addressed as far as Karamoja is concerned, of course, is the issue of youth unemployment. This is universal. The youth are unemployed, not only because their jobs are unavailable, but also because there are limited opportunities here in the region.”

To tackle youth unemployment, leaders said, more factories have been opened up, with the establishment of Moroto Industrial Zone taking over as the flagship.

The Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) in a 2023/2024 National Household Survey Report, noted that Karamoja’s poverty rate was four times more than the national average, despite a national decline in poverty to 16.1%.

According to the survey, 74.2%, of the population were in agony of poverty.

“There is a challenge of unemployment. You find many educated young people without jobs, but they have papers,” Paulina Bounyang, who is a female youth councillor for Lokipelaebu town council in Kotido district, said.

Roads, clean water  

The poor road infrastructure, especially the Kotido-Abim road, which is the main opening to Kotido municipality and limited access to safe and clean water are the other challenges that Bounyang cited.

“There is also a lack of clean water. You find in a sub-county, there is only one or two boreholes supposed to serve the entire population. Residents have to trek more than 4km to look for water,” Bounyang said.

People’s manifesto  

The voters’ concerns are also reflected in the New Vision Citizens Manifesto conducted between March and May 2025, where prospective voters highlighted key bottlenecks undermining service delivery in the spheres of healthcare, security, roads infrastructure, water and sanitation, poverty, unemployment, power connectivity, education, agricultural services, land management, crimes and leadership, among others.

For instance, only about 25% of the respondents in Moroto district endorsed the state of health services, while in education more than 85% believe something should be done to improve the sector’s performance.

Livestock valley dams  

Jacob Lothoro, one of the Karimojong elders and an LC3 chairperson in Napak town council, said the cattle keepers need enough water through extraction of community dams to make water available to communities and their animals. This, he said, will minimise the issue of Karamojongs running to Teso and other areas looking for water and pasture.

“With the water, there is a lot of production in areas like fishing, vegetable growing and others,” he said, adding that there is a need for affirmative education in Karamoja. All leaders within the region, Lothoro said, should mobilise children to embrace universal primary and secondary education.

“It also addresses the issue of security in line with the transformation of Karamoja,” he said.

Expert view  

According to John Kakande, a veteran journalist and a regular political commentator, Karamoja sub-region has been a safe area during the National Resistance Movement (NRM) regime, issues at hand notwithstanding.

“I think the issue of security remains important there. The issue of disarmament, providing water for the animals, improving road infrastructure for sure, the President and all the other candidates will probably talk about them. The safety of the animals is also a critical issue that Museveni will probably be thinking about, and all the other candidates,” Kakande said.

Aldrine Lucky, a lawyer from Karamoja, said the issue of hunger and food security must be addressed by leaders.

“There is need for government to scale up emergency food and nutrition programmes. Hunger and malnutrition remain widespread, which the President needs to address during this campaign. Elderly people and children are still dying due to hunger, and many young children are malnourished,” she said.

Lucky added that communities are concerned about insecurity. He said some individuals in the area still possess illegal fi rearms. The situation, she noted, remains tense following the recent killings within the region.

What voters say

Charles Alir, commercial farmer Farmers would want the President to address the issue of roads from Abim, Kotido, Kaabong and Moroto so that they are able to transport their produce from one area to another.

Simon Lomonyang Adingli 

Top among the residents’ requests is the upgrading of Kaabong Hospital into a regional referral hospital, a move we believe would greatly improve access to specialised health services across the sub-region and neighbouring areas. We are also expecting the creation of Dodoth south constituency and Morungole district.

Paulina Bounyang, female youth councillor for Lokipelaebu town council 

There is a challenge of unemployment. You find many educated young people without jobs, but they have qualifications.

Samuel Pukol, from Rupa sub-county 

Some parish chiefs and other officials identify beneficiaries and secure phone lines in their names, and money is disbursed on those lines, instead of intended beneficiaries.

Job Oualinga, young voter in Moroto 

Health centres are there, but health equipment and medicines are not there.

Samuel Pirir, former Matheniko MP 

Guns are still making their way into Karamoja through these porous borders and cause instability in the sub-region.

Isaac Teitei, the resident Katanga village, Moroto Municipality

I want the president to talk about continued industrialisation of the region and how far the Government has fast tracked the feasibility study of Lopei dam.

David Koriang, district chairperson, Moroto 

Most people were jailed over one gun that claimed lives, and not all people in various detention centres were criminals.