Uganda Muslim Supreme Council Donates Food to 1,000 Kotido Households

By Richard Onapatum

The Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) has donated food relief to 1,000 households in Kotido District as hunger continues to affect communities following prolonged drought and crop failure in Karamoja.

The relief was delivered yesterday by His Eminence Dr Sheikh Shaban Ramadhan Mubajje, Mufti of Uganda, during his visit to Kotido. The beneficiaries were drawn from Napupum and Kamor sub-counties.

Each household received a food package containing five kilograms of posho, rice, salt, cooking oil, silver fish, beans and sugar.

The intervention comes amid a wider food crisis in Karamoja. The June 2026 Integrated Food Security Phase Classification assessment estimated that about 473,000 people in the sub-region were facing acute food insecurity at Crisis level or worse, with Kotido among the districts experiencing the most severe conditions.

The meeting was opened by Kotido Resident District Commissioner Charles Ichogor, who thanked the Muslim Supreme Council for responding to the hunger situation.

“On behalf of government, we do not take this for granted. We thank you so much,” Ichogor said.

He said Kotido had been devastated by drought this year, resulting in widespread suffering and hunger.

“This year the district was devastated by drought. It has led to untold suffering of our people. About 35 people lost their lives,” he said.

Ichogor said although government had provided some food assistance, it had not been sufficient to meet the needs of affected communities.

“Our people don’t have food. We got some food, but it was not enough,” he said.

He welcomed the Mufti’s visit, saying the intervention would add value to government efforts to respond to hunger.

“Today we are going to cement our relationships so that we continue forging ways to support our people here in Kotido,” Ichogor said.

Kotido District LCV Chairperson Lotee Paul Komol thanked the Mufti for responding to an appeal he had made several times.

“I must attest that I came to your office three times, and you listened to my plea. The Muslim community is ready to stand by the people of Karamoja,” Komol said.

Komol said the support was important but pointed out that the number of households reached was small compared with the district’s wider needs.

“On behalf of the people, we appreciate your efforts. Kotido has about 48,000 households. When we support a few, we are still proud, but my request to you is to mobilise more food for us,” he said.

He appealed to UMSC and other stakeholders to continue mobilising assistance for vulnerable families.

‘Karamoja needs brotherhood’

Kotido Municipality Member of Parliament Ismail Muhammad Lomwar thanked the Mufti for responding to the appeals from local leaders.

Lomwar recalled a previous visit by Mubajje to Kotido, during which prayers were conducted under the sun.

“You came to Kotido and we prayed under the sun. That prayer, the Karamojongs are now embracing Islam. Thank you,” Lomwar said.

He said the growing Muslim community could contribute to unity and brotherhood in Karamoja.

“It was only our family which was Muslim in Kotido. Karamoja needs a religion. Religion can bring brotherhood because it carries the message,” he said.

Lomwar thanked the Mufti for ensuring that the appeal from local leaders was heard and urged MPs to continue pushing for additional assistance.

“As an MP, let us continue pushing for more food,” he said.

He also linked food security to peace and stability, saying that addressing hunger and poverty could contribute to reducing insecurity.

Kotido Woman MP Nuria Hafsa Teko welcomed the Mufti to the district and said the Muslim community in Karamoja had grown significantly.

UMSC calls for sustainable solutions

Sheikh Obilan Abubakar, the Regional Assistant to the Mufti for the Teso-Karamoja Region, thanked Mubajje for what he described as proactive support to the people of Karamoja.

He said the Mufti had demonstrated a vision of building livelihood in humanity and supporting communities beyond religious activities.

Obilan thanked Mubajje for his commitment to the people of the north-eastern region and said the food donation was the first of its kind in terms of the volume of food delivered by the Muslim leadership.

He, however, called for sustainable interventions to address the underlying causes of food insecurity.

UMSC Secretary General Hon. Hadji Abbas Muluubya Ssekyanzi said the council was looking beyond emergency food relief to sustainable livelihoods.

He said UMSC was considering interventions in farming, irrigation, agricultural input supply and animal rearing to strengthen household resilience.

“The issue with Kotido is: what are the sustainable measures we can put in place?” Ssekyanzi asked.

He said UMSC was prepared to explore livelihood projects and agricultural demonstrations that could help households produce their own food and income.

“We have agricultural input supply. We can do animal rearing. Livelihood is part of us,” he said.

Ssekyanzi said hunger and poverty were closely linked to insecurity and that improving household livelihoods could help communities become more resilient.

“The moment we address hunger and poverty, insecurity reduces,” he said.

He also called for security to protect people’s property and urged the two MPs to remain in contact with UMSC so that they could identify areas where the council could offer further support.

Mufti pledges wider mobilisation

His Eminence Sheikh Shaban Ramadhan Mubajje said his visit followed the several appeals made by the Kotido LCV chairperson.

He said he wanted to come personally and demonstrate that the Muslim community stood with the people of Karamoja during the food crisis.

“Islam is for humanity. We came with something small,” but i will mobilise more, Mubajje said.

The Mufti said the donation was only an initial intervention and pledged to continue mobilising support for affected families.

He said he would engage organisations and embassies to seek additional assistance for Karamoja and promised to involve the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda in broader efforts to support the region.

Mubajje said he had first visited Karamoja more than 30 years ago and remained concerned about the recurring challenges facing its people.

“The people of Karamoja are in our hands. We hope to do bigger things in this area,” he said.

He called for a shift from repeated emergency responses to permanent solutions capable of helping communities withstand drought and food shortages.

The Mufti commended government for development in the region, including improved roads, but called for more investment in infrastructure.

He appealed for a tarmac road connecting Kotido and said improved infrastructure would support development and access to markets and services.

Mubajje also pledged to mobilise support for a four-classroom block, a borehole and a health facility.

He urged MPs, local leaders, religious institutions, government and development partners to work together on lasting solutions to the recurring food crisis.

Relief needed alongside long-term investment

The UMSC intervention comes as humanitarian and development actors continue to call for both immediate food assistance and longer-term livelihood measures in Karamoja.

The IPC assessment recommends food and livelihood assistance for households facing Crisis and Emergency levels of food insecurity, alongside investment in livestock, climate-smart agriculture, post-harvest management and mechanisms to address the structural causes of recurring food insecurity.

UNICEF has also reported that Kotido remains severely affected by acute malnutrition, with 22,820 children estimated to need treatment for acute malnutrition in 2026.

For the 1,000 households in Napupum and Kamor, the food packages provide immediate assistance. But the appeals from local leaders and UMSC officials point to a wider challenge: ensuring that households can produce, store and access enough food even when drought disrupts the next agricultural season.