Dr. Ayub Mukisa: Could the Karamoja problems be attributed to colonial exploitation or corruption?

It is a historical fact that when discussing Karamoja, poverty, scarcity, insecurity, droughts, famine, and sometimes corruption scandals are used to describe the subregion.

However, the challenge lies in the lack of a clear explanation as to why Karamoja continues to grapple with a multitude of problems. Some people argue that the issues in Karamoja stem from colonial exploitation, while others attribute them to intermittent corruption in the subregion.
Of the regions that colonialists colonized in Uganda, Karamoja was the last, with British military presence beginning in 1915 and “colonial civil administration” starting in 1921.

Professor Mahmood Mamdani argued that “the period of colonial rule was the worst and most deep-seated social catastrophe to have befallen Karamoja” (Mamdani, 1982). One may ask why? During the colonial administration in Karamoja between 1911 and 1950, the region was closed off from the rest of Uganda, requiring individuals to be issued a permit to enter Karamoja. These harsh measures left Karamoja isolated, with no contact with the rest of Uganda. As a result, colonialists intentionally excluded Karamoja from the processes of modernization, education provision, and development (Sidonia & Waiswa, 2018). Additionally, when the colonial government finally took over Karamoja and declared it a ‘closed district,’ they began collecting taxes and granting trade and hunting licenses to traders and hunters of ivory. While the colonial government earned income through these licenses, they made no investments in Karamoja at that time, leaving the sub region impoverished (Lubega, cited in Kabiito, 2021).

Colonial masters restricted pastoral activities, forcing the Karamojong people to adopt a lifestyle that was not suitable for Karamoja (Muhereza, 2018 & Caravani, 2017). This is what Dr. Yusuf Serunkuma calls ‘putting a knife on the things that held people together.’ The implication of this is the current suffering and endless problems for the Karamoja natives. In this article, my point is neither for nor against colonialists. It is simply that from 1911 during the colonial rule, Karamoja could have been developed like other areas, rather than the way it looks to day. The discussion on colonial exploitation of Karamoja will continue in the following article.

Ayub Mukisa (PhD)
Executive Director, Karamoja Anti Corruption Coalition (KACC).
Email: ayubmukisa@gmail.com