In this article, I will show that while the government and CSOs are actively funding and implementing various projects in Karamoja to improve the lives of the people, the issue of alcoholism must be critically addressed. Failure to do so will result in the region falling further behind.
Iyer and Stites (2021) argued that alcohol use among the Karimojongs is a topic of regular and heated discussion among policy makers and public health advocates. Indeed, a study by Giulia et al (2017) in Karamoja titled “Local Development and Alcohol Abuse: The Case of Karamoja” revealed that the Karamoja Sub-Region is ranked number one in alcohol consumption in Uganda. While reading issue 55 of the “Karamoja Times” dated May 23rd-30th, 2025, the Editor in Chief Akudo Evalyne, expressed concern about the alcoholism problem, particularly the deadly wave of crude waragi that is devastating the people Karamoja.
A crucial fact is that in Karamoja, the type of alcohol consumed has shifted from the local brew, produced through the fermentation of cereals with a low alcohol percentage ranging from 4 to 6%, to the widespread consumption of distilled alcohol known as ‘waragi’ (or ‘etule’ in the local language).
When interacting with some women in the village of Katanga in Nabilatuk district, they shared that crude “waragi” has been nicknamed “direct” because one can buy it for just UGX 500 and they measure it out directly for one to consume. There are other types of alcohol sold and consumed locally in Karamoja.
The types I observed in people’s homes are in plastic bottles of different sizes, typically 200ml, ranging from Express, Spear Gin, and Splendour, sold at varying prices of UGX 1,000,1,500, or higher. In fact, “Karamoja Times Weekly Edition” has reported that over 500 people have lost their lives in the last 15 years due to alcohol consumption.
Surprisingly, the alcohol affecting the Karimojong’s is not produced in Karamoja but brought in from outside the region. My appeal to the government of the Republic of Uganda is that unless you intervene in the Karamoja alcohol problem, Karamoja will continue to fall further behind, and your achievements will go un- noticed.
Ayub Mukisa (PhD)
Executive Director-Karamoja Anti Corruption Coalition (KACC)
Email: ayubmukisa@gmail.com
Do you have a story in your community or an opinion to share with us: Email us at editorial@watchdoguganda.com
