A recent decade of peace and socioeconomic prosperity in Karamoja has been wiped out by recent violent warfare, which has left dozens of people dead, livestock taken, and property damaged.
In addition, the violent confrontations have caused the existing nomadic people in the area to migrate uncontrollably out of fear of being apprehended, while others have fled out of desperation under the constant insecurity.
Increased environmental deterioration has resulted in unpredictable weather patterns, a rise in poverty owing to loss of employment, and other problems that have had a significant influence on household financial stability.
As the civil society and the majority of local government employees dreaded a confrontation with armed rustlers, official structures intended for service delivery have eroded during the past five years.
The Parish Development Model (PDM) is a necessary intervention, according to Francis Lorika Adome, the Moroto Municipality MP.
According to him, the untold poverty that is fueling the rising violence is to blame for the insecurity and environmental damage.
At the Parish Development Model (PDM) launch on Thursday 22nd June 2023 at the Boma grounds in Moroto, Adome made the comments.
He said, “The beneficiaries should not have any excuses,” and added that they should have been ready for the enterprises for the previous two years.
Depending on the enterprises, Adome advised them to either save the money daily, weekly, or monthly. He also requested that Karamoja be brought under control from the military.
Ismail Mohammed, the mayor of Moroto, stated: “It is the responsibility of the citizens to work hard to fight poverty.”
He praised the government for transforming Lopeduru into an ultra-market and urged PDM recipients to set up stalls and begin conducting business.
Mohammed urged the government to increase the previously allotted sh100 million per parish to sh150 million, arguing that Karamoja needed affirmative action.
Michael Lotee, the district chairperson for the NRM, attributed all the violence to regional authorities. He claimed that the villages where these folks live are where the raiders are. Lotee pushed the recipients to invest their money in their businesses rather than getting married.
George William Wopuwa, the Resident District Commissioner, urged the beneficiaries to be truthful. The Moroto Lady
The Parish Development Model (PDM) money, according to MP Stella Atyang, are intended to improve the lives of people at the household level, thus beneficiaries are asked to make sure they do not lose out on them.
to help them access their funds once they are freed, they should go ahead and buy the same devices.
The project, according to Michael Ayepa, the planning and monitoring officer at the PDM secretariat, will alter the perception of Karamoja. He said that sh25.2 billion has already been given to the Karamoja subregion.
There are 472 SACCOS in Karamoja, and all of them have money in their accounts.
However, the Napak district has only given sh25 million to 25 households so far.
He continued by saying that illicit fishing is primarily carried out by non-compliant fishermen. These have been instructed to store their boats until the start of the registration process for new licenses early the following year.
A fisherman who catches silverfish must pay Sh200,000 for an annual license, plus Sh25,000 for each employee. A license costs Sh150,000 for, among other species, Nile Perch.
According to Godfrey Kambugu Ssenyonga of the Association of Fisheries and Lake Users of Uganda, they had previously requested from the agriculture ministry an extension of the issuance of licenses for a period of six months, as required by law.
Fishermen in Mazinga sub-county, led by Badru Walugembe of Kyosiga Fishing Company, blame the lack of fish in Lake Victoria for their refusal to pay license fees. They claim that they are unable to because some of them have more than 50 fishing boats.
