Karamoja, My Pride turned into a Curse?!

The question you may ask yourself is, “HOW?”

First “Insecurity” and now “Hunger”.

I have always talked of my region positively with numerous cultures, beliefs, with one language and different dialects, my home, my shelter, my source of life, everything, My Karamoja, and My pride.

Every time I sit down, I think, meditate, scramble, and cry in my heart with sorrow and tears of hope and prayer. I always kneel to say a word of prayer to the gods of my forefathers (Apaloris, Akobo, Atogo, Apalowuou, “[Ngimoru ka Ngigetei]” (Karamoja elders), God Almighty father the creator of heaven and earth. The words I say to the gods are always of request, asking, inquiries, and thirst to know what exactly it should take for my Karamoja to rest, have peace, develop, and grow according to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. But the response always seems to be within my Karamoja, the leadership, the people, the government, and Uganda as a whole.

It has come to my understanding that the solution is with us, the solution is in our hands, the solution is our elders, the solution is our youth, the solution is our children, and the solution is accepting who we are and what we need to do.

There are a number of questions that cross my mind and have not been answered since I grew up;

Is it the Karimojong that are not doing something for Karamoja?

Are our civil servant leaders not doing the right thing for our people?

Is it the government that is not doing the right thing for my people?

Is it the political leadership not doing the right thing?

Is my Karamoja land cursed?

Are my people cursed?

Is our government favoring some other regions or not?

All the above questions have crossed my mind but failed to get answers to them…

The question now comes, what are the two stones that have hit Karamoja at ago?

First, insecurity that has led to the loss of life, property, and more so the pride of Karamoja which is the 95.5% source of livelihood which is as well having a lot of questions about whether it’s done by the locals alone or being facilitated by some officers within government or local leadership (another question unanswered…), the other one is, when shall the problem of hunger be solved in my Karamoja,? Whose responsibility is it? Locals, Non-government organizations? Or its Government responsibility?..... a lot more unanswered.

I want to bring this out clear that, my region has been left to fight its battles alone and the eyes are always painted to assume we are prioritized yet NOT TRUE, we are always given interventions that are not corresponding with what we want or are brought at a wrong time which leads to more hunger, famine, and increases the urge not to have them anymore yet my people need them to live as Ugandan citizen. 

My cry to my people, my fellow youth, elders, and the Karimojong at large is to do something for themselves than think of any other person to help. Let us always accept genuine help and not just any that may bring catastrophes to our land. 

I pray to God to listen to my cry, I urge the leadership to stop looking at themselves and their family but the community at large, I want to let the government of Uganda know that we are not just Karimojong but Ugandans and we deserve to be helped and given what we need not just what the government thinks is good for us but what we want and are willing to take in as ours and as the Karimojong.

I know many will say let him talk or even who is he to say so... Trust me tears of my people and the questions they ask themselves will be answered one day... we are dying due to shortage or even no food to eat... poor health services... poor roads... land grabbing... unanswered promises and more other things that are not looked into by the government and the leadership in it. 

Our Karamoja contributes alot more to our Gross Domestic Product every financial year in terms of Minerals and Tourism sectors which are among the lead every year but still we are becoming more of dogs to receive the leftovers from the rest of the country...(do we have any city in Karamoja yet one or two qualify?...) unanswered too...

I pray to be heard and considered in all aspects of Development and positive and profitable Investments for my Karamoja. 

Though all the above happen, I Jemo will truly remain a Karimojong by Birth, tribe, and more so Origin from Bar-el-Gazzel, Ethiopia.

Karamoja, My PRIDE