Otuke district leaders have sent back hungry Karimojong. Last week, 47 Karamijong women and children from Kotido District entered Otuke district in search of food.
They were offered food and shelter at Okwongo Church of Uganda and Okwongo Primary School.
In a meeting held by district leaders and elders, they resolved that the group should return to Kotido. On Sunday, the Karimojong were loaded on a truck and escorted back.
Francis Abola, the LCV Chairperson says that the hungry families were sent back because there is inadequate food in Otuke.
“Following our meeting with some elders in Lango because as you know Otuke is a district in Lango sub region which makes it a property of Lango, the meeting resolved that we do not want Karimojong in Lango because there is no enough food for them let alone where to keep them so by Sunday today, we shall send them back to their homes in Kotido.”
Jillian Akillo, the Resident District Commissioner explains that the resolution is not in bad faith but rather meant to help them benefit from food relief being sent to their home district by the government.
“There is hunger even in Otuke, but the government is sending food to Karamoja so we think it is only fair that they return home and receive the relief food,” Akillo said.
Benson Otim, a resident of Okwongo Town Council is happy that the Karimojong are being sent back because they say their presence in their area posed a danger to them and their children.
On Wednesday, the government dispatched 790 metric tons of relief food including maize flour and beans to the Karamoja Sub-region. This is the second time in two weeks the government is sending food to Karamoja after it sent 2,000 metric tons of food last week.
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