Inside government’s new Shs15 trillion plan for Karamoja

The plan also shows the poverty levels in the sub-region are associated with limited wealth creation due to subsistence economy, persistent ethnic clashes as a result of cattle raiding, food insecurity, low value addition, low education levels, limited health care services, and low land registration limiting individuals to own land, and low penetration of government programmes.
 
The Shs15.1 trillion plan that will be implemented under the theme, “Sustainable peace and agro industrialisation for social economic transformation of Karamoja” is also intended to end the education disparity in Karamoja by 2035.

The masterplan that  had input from Karamoja leaders, civil society, private sector, and kraal elders, will see the government build schools in more than 70 parishes that do not have public  primary schools, and secondary schools built in more than 40 sub-counties.
 
Karamoja, with an estimated population of 1.2 million inhabitants, has for years grappled with poor socio –economic infrastructure development perpetuated by insecurity, as a result of proliferation in firearms among the pastoralists, and food insecurity.

Ms Florence Nambozo, the minister of State for Karamoja Affairs, told Monitor  on July 9 that the new Karamoja development plan has been presented to the area MPs and discussions about its implementation are ongoing. 

“We hope to have it implemented,” the minister said.
 
The chairperson of the NPA board, Prof Pamela K.  Mbabazi, declined to comment but instead referred this paper to the NPA executive director, Mr Joseph Muvawala, who has for the last two weeks not replied to our email.

Efforts to contact him on phone were also futile by press time.

Ms Faith Nakut, the Napak District Woman MP, told this publication on July 9 that the new development plan was a result of consultative meetings with various stakeholders in Karamoja since 2020 and hoped  that it would  have positive impact on the ground.. 
 
“In the last 10 years a lot of money, more than the planned Shs1.5 trillion has been spent on Karamoja but it has been done in a scattered manner,” Ms Nakut explained.

The legislator said previously, the national plan was done without specifics and that with this particular regional development plan, the monitoring aspect will be done by all actors and any development partner intending to do any development in Karamoja will have to pick areas of interest from the 10-year master plan.

“The earlier they start to implement after the President signs and launches it, the better,” Ms Nakut said.

Mr Paul Lokol, the chairperson for Nabilatuk District, was  optimistic that this plan could bolster the education sector in Karamoja by making education free and compulsory.

“In our discussion with the NPA, our area of interest is the economic transformation of Karamoja without affecting its cultures and tradition,” he said, adding that the plan touches the aspect of the health sector, road sector, agriculture and human resource.

Mr Lokol said to deliver the plan to the satisfaction, the government must give the mandate of implementation to the nine district local governments instead of  the Office of the Prime Minister as it has been before.

The plan indicates that President Museveni will be responsible for its oversight while, the Cabinet will mobilise resources and report to the President on the progress of the plan.

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