For clarity, I will begin with a question to the people of Karamoja: now that you are politically well represented, what excuse remains for not flourishing?
In his article “Post NRM elections: New zeal needed in party leagues and structures” (Watchdog News, August 27, 2025), Faruk Kirunda, Special Presidential Assistant for Press & Mobilisation, congratulated those elected to head various party leagues and committees, most notably the National Chairman, Chairman of the Central Executive Committee (CEC), and Head of State, H.E. Gen. (Rtd) Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
Significantly, Karamoja is also represented among these leaders a fact that forms the basis of my argument.
Meyerson (2024), in “State Spaces and Struggles of Karamoja’s Future”, reminds us that for many years Karamoja lived in a state of exclusion from the Ugandan polity partly by popular demand and partly by administrative design. Mirzeler and Young (2000), cited in Meyerson, further note that Karamoja played no role in the politics leading to independence in 1962. Successive governments often viewed Karimojongs as children who had to be guided, controlled, or “civilized,” rather than respected (Meyerson, 2024).
Today, however, the situation has changed. Many Karimojongs now hold leadership positions in the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM). This leads me to ask: will Karamoja’s leaders use this opportunity to drive the region toward real progress?
I pose this question objectively, much like Wozei did in 1977 when he observed that “Some of us would like to see Karamoja developed as fast as possible to catch up with the rest of Uganda, but the major problem is how to do it.” Perhaps the current political representation of Karimojongs within the NRM is part of the solution. For example, the presence of a Karimojong on the Central Executive Committee means that Karamoja’s concerns can now reach the President directly, without intermediaries.
If honesty is applied, the evidence is clear: voters in Karamoja have consistently mobilised for the NRM party. This should be the moment to claim their fair share of the national cake. Political actors from Karamoja must seize this opportunity to counteract the stereotypes that have defined the region for decades.
To the Karamoja NRM politicians who have won in different categories: if you allow Karamoja to remain in poverty as it is today, you risk proving right the fears of the 1961 Commission led by Basil Bataringaya, which recommended that higher authorities should maintain tight political control over Karamoja rather than entrusting it to local leaders. (Mirzeler & Young, 2000; Meyerson, 2024).
Ayub Mukisa (PhD)
Executive Director-Karamoja Anti Corruption Coalition
Email: ayubmukisa@gmail.com
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