When people hear “Karamoja,” they often think of a subregion that has endured some of Uganda’s toughest challenges: droughts, famine, violence, and years of neglect. Today, however, development partners are helping to rewrite that story. GIZ, the German Agency for International Cooperation, and the Royal Danish Embassy (RDE) in Kampala, along with the embassies of the Netherlands, Sweden, and Ireland, are funding projects through local civil society organisations (CSOs). Their efforts deserve recognition and gratitude.
Why would a Karamoja Anti-Corruption Coalition (KACC) officer take a moment to commend these partners?
The answer lies in Karamoja’s history. Scholars have documented that in the late 1970s, a deadly famine triggered by a sharp drop in the cattle-to-human ratio, repeated crop failures, rising violence, and a largely absent government claimed the lives of around twenty-one percent of the population within a single year (Caravan, 2018; Cisternino, 1985). In his PhD thesis (2023), Mukisa notes that international partners stepped in, funding local CSOs to help the Karimojong survive. This legacy of solidarity is worth remembering.
That history explains why today’s development partners deserve acknowledgment. In Uganda, GIZ has supported local NGOs directly, providing funding, smartphones, laptops, proposal-writing training, and opportunities for high-level exposure. One local NGO leader told me, “It was GIZ that first funded our NGO directly, without intermediaries.”
Meanwhile, the embassies of Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Ireland, working through the Royal Danish Embassy, have revitalized NGOs across the subregion. Their Partnerships on Accountability, Civic Engagement, and Rights (PACER) programme has channeled billions of shillings into NGOs and community projects. This support has multiplied its impact, boosting the local economy and strengthening community resilience.
My message to all NGOs receiving this support is simple: use it wisely. Deliver results that people can see and feel, and be open, accountable, and ambitious. When these resources are used to genuinely transform Karamoja, we not only honor the commitment of GIZ and the Royal Danish Embassy but also build a stronger, more hopeful future for the people of the subregion.
Ayub Mukisa, PhD
Executive Director, Karamoja Anti-Corruption Coalition
Email: ayubmukisa@gmail.com
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