Though Uganda is one of the countries in Sub-Saharan Africa that introduced Universal Primary Education in 1997 and Universal Secondary Education in 2007 (Kakuba et al., 2025), an article published in Watchdog News on March 31, 2025 titled “Karamoja Money in the Hands of Young Children” revealed how school age children in the Karamoja sub region have been left to care for livestock instead of attending school.
This practice has left Karamoja behind in terms of access to education. Education statistics in Karamoja are alarming, with an estimated 88% of the entire population being illiterate and about half of all children and youth, 51% aged 6–24 years, never having attended school (UBOS, 2017; UNFPA, 2018; Datzberge, 2022). The 2024 Population and Housing Census shows almost similar results in Karamoja, with 74.2% of primary aged children out of school (UBOS,2024). Article 30 of the Ugandan Constitution states that “All persons have a right to education,” and as per Article 34(2), “A child is entitled to basic education that shall be the responsibility of the state and parents of the child” (Government of Uganda, 1995).
Surprisingly, in Karamoja, a different situation arises. Parents leave their children to migrate with livestock to Kraals during the drought season, from October to March the following year, in order to care for the animals. This deprives the children of access to education. The situation persists during the wet season, from mid-March to September, as parents still require their children to trek daily to graze the livestock, thus denying them the education.
I remember a day during a District Integrity Promotion Forum in Nabilatuk District when the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) expressed his concern about children not attending school. He said, “NGOs, you help us talk to parents to ensure children stay in school. We have recruited teachers and we need children for them to teach.” To add to the CAO’s concerns, my message to the people of Karamoja is that educating children is a crucial tool that can change the image of Karamoja and improve the region’s status quo.
To the stakeholders and Ministry of Education and sports, in order to reduce the alarming figures of poor school attendance, there is a need to name and shame the parents who are sending their children to care for livestock instead of attending school. Naming and shaming are common techniques that can help publicize “bad” behavior, norms, or non-compliance (Schoner, 2024). For example, a team can be formed in Karamoja to document every family whose child is taking care of livestock instead of attending school, then publicly shame them or, if possible, hand them over to the authorities for action.
It is a known fact that many interventions have been implemented in Karamoja to retain children in school, but some parents are not very supportive. Let stakeholders in education in Karamoja adopt a naming and shaming approach, supported by the government. This will encourage the parents to ensure that their children stay in school.
Ayub Mukisa (PhD)
Executive Director. Karamoja Anti Corruption Coalition (KACC)
Email: ayubmukisa@gmail.com
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