Uganda Lawmakers Demand Shift from Emergency Relief to Long‑Term Disaster Preparedness

As Uganda prepares for a potentially severe El Niño season, members of Parliament are pressing the government to move away from repeated emergency food distributions and invest instead in durable solutions such as irrigation and early‑warning systems.

The call came during a plenary session on Wednesday, 12 August 2026, when the Minister for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, Hon. Sam Engola, delivered a statement on the current disaster situation and the government’s response. The session was chaired by Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa.

Engola told lawmakers that the government is currently distributing relief food to 313,987 households across 480 parishes in the nine districts of the Karamoja region. Each household is slated to receive 20 kg of maize flour and 10 kg of beans. The intervention follows an acute food insecurity crisis that has left approximately 473,000 people in Karamoja facing crisis‑level or worse food insecurity, including some 41,000 classified under emergency conditions.

During the debate, Adjumani District Woman MP, Hon. Jesca Ababiku, argued that irrigation should be a priority, noting that the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries conducted site surveys in the district five years ago but never followed through. ‘The issue of irrigation is key,’ she said, adding that without it, farmers remain vulnerable to recurrent drought.

Napak District Woman MP, Hon. Faith Nakut, welcomed the decision to deliver food directly to parishes but questioned the long‑term sustainability of such relief. ‘Reports indicate that food distributed is finished; sustaining food relief is a difficult job,’ she remarked. She pointed out that the government has allocated Shs 45 billion for the current operation and asked, ‘What about the next time?’ She also urged the government to prepare for possible flooding after the drought, calling for equipment to desilt water channels.

Gulu City Woman MP, Hon. Betty Aol Ocan, called for the restoration of national food reserves, recalling the existence of large government silos that could store food for emergencies. ‘We cannot wait for people to die in order to come to their rescue,’ she stressed.

Hon. Francis Adome Lorika (NRM, Moroto Municipality) reported that about 2,000 households in his constituency have not received any aid and advocated for long‑term solutions, including irrigation and the planned resettlement of communities from disaster‑prone areas.

In response, Minister Engola outlined the development of an El‑Niño contingency plan, prompted by forecasts of above‑normal rainfall between September and December 2026. The plan, he said, will guide interventions before, during and after the rains, covering agriculture and food security, works and transport, and health. Additional measures include a multi‑sectoral dissemination of early‑warning messages and enforcement of environmental laws to prevent settlement in hazard‑prone zones.

The Karamoja region, known for its semi‑arid climate and recurrent droughts, has long been a hotspot for food insecurity. Pastoralist communities often rely on livestock, but prolonged dry spells decimate herds and reduce available pasture. The current crisis is compounded by the projected El Niño, which historically brings both heavy rains and subsequent flooding, further threatening crops and infrastructure.

The debate underscores a growing consensus among lawmakers that while emergency relief can save lives, a shift toward preparedness and resilience is essential to break the cycle of dependence on food aid.