Kasese district at risk of famine #uganda

After surviving one of the harshest floods in its
history mid last year, Kasese district is at risk of a
famine, due to a lengthy dry spell that has
scotched crops and left pastoralists stretched.
The areas worst affected include Karusandara,
Munkunyu and Kichwamba sub-counties. In
Karusandara sub-county most maize plantations
have dried up leaving farmers counting their
losses. Pastoralists around Queen Elizabeth
national park recently appealed for help from the
district authorities.
Speaking to The Observer recently, John
Byamugisa, a pastoralist from Bigando village in
Kichwamba, said they had run out of pasture to
graze animals in his home area and milk
production had dropped. Byamugisa said they
had been forced to trek long distances in search
of water and pasture after the seasonal rivers
there dried up. He appealed to the government to
allow them access to Queen Elizabeth national
park for pasture.
The district veterinary officer, Dr Godfrey Kalule,
said he was aware of the crisis and was moving
to deal with it.
"We have advertised for the construction of
valley dams in all the areas that are occupied by
the pastoralists so that the problem of lack of
water can be tackled," he told a group of
pastoralists at the Kasese Catholic Social Services
hall.
In May, Kasese's River Nyamwamba burst its
banks, flooded most areas and killed 11 people.
Most infrastructure including hospitals, schools
and roads were damaged, after a week of non-
stop rainfall. There is no comment from the
Office of the Prime Minister on the situation. The
office is charged with resolving disasters.