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Uganda

Uganda: Teso to get Shs6b to fight famine, Ecweru

Joseph Malinga

Kumi - Government has set aside Shs6b to avert famine in Teso sub region, State minister for Disaster Preparedness Musa Ecweru has said.

Addressing different rallies in Kumi Boma ground and Ngora County headquarters, last Friday, Mr Ecweru said residents will not experience famine as President Museveni had ordered the Finance ministry to give his Ministry shs6bn.

"The Ministry of finance has already secured the money and very soon it is going to be in our office to allow us start the programme of delivering both seeds and food items to you, Mr Ecweru said.

The development follows the poor harvest during last season caused by drought that affected all the crops including cassava that has been the main hope for Teso each time the region is affected by famine.

Teso has since last year experienced a number of natural calamities like floods that destroyed property worth millions of shillings.

While the region was still struggling to recover from floods, a prolonged drought also hit the region affecting almost all the crops.

Mr Ecweru was responding to requests by Kumi MPs who included Mr Patrick Amuriat (Kumi county), Mr Francis Epetait (Ngora county), and Ms Agnes Akiror (Woman MP), for President Museveni to consider helping Teso out of another looming famine.

"In Kumi District, all the seeds supplied by the Ministry of Agriculture have failed to yield," the chairman disaster committee, who is also the Chief Administrative Officer, Mr Sulaiman Kasozi, said.

Mr Amuriat said: "Our people are starving because all their crops have failed. Since it is not their making we would request the government to help provide them with food ratios and seeds as they struggle to avert the situation."

He said however, that while the President is moving around teaching people how to become rich through agriculture, there is need for government to address the issue of water for production.

"Lack of water for production is a threat to prosperity for all since the region entirely depends on agriculture for both food and income," Mr Amuriat said adding "Teso region suffers from dry spell for four months a year making it easily susceptible to the outbreak of famine."

Last week Mr Museveni was in Teso region to assess state funded National Agricultural Advisory Service (Naads) and Savings and Credit Cooperatives (Saccos). He is also mobilizing support for the fourth term.