Beautiful seneries of Karamoja region

Karamoja a region rich with minerals and beautiful sceneries.

The beautiful sceneries of Karamoja sub-region. Photo By Godfrey Ojore. 

BY GODFREY OJORE    

Its 11:25am on a cloudy Sunday, I set off to Karamoja region aboard a commercial Noah vehicle from Soroti town. Transport on public means to Moroto is 20,000 from Soroti town.

My first destination in Karamoja is Moroto town which is more of the city for the region due to availability of many amenities such as the banks and the referral hospital.

The journey would take us about four hours and thirty minutes drive. Throughout our journey, the driver would play old music of 1980s, few tracks from Buganda and Karamojong music probably to initiate us into the land of herdsmen.

Soon after living Katakwi a district that boards with Karamoja, Aleklek is the first place to usher you to the home of the uncles of Iteso.

The driver has to be extra careful of cattle, goats and sheep being grazed on the road sides. Away from that are beautiful sceneries of Karamoja that catch the visitor’s eyes.

Many times people have made stopovers along the road to allow them take pictures that they would later post on social network informing their colleagues that they are in Karamoja.


People visiting Karamoja for the first time taking pictures of the nice hills in Napak district. Photo By Godfre Ojore

 

It’s from here that the dress code for both men and women change from usual trousers and shirts and skirts and blouses to Karamoja traditional attire locally called Ananga.

Ananga is a piece of cloth that both men and women wrap on. The Karamojong men are easily identified with walking sticks and stools while women are identified with beads they wear around their waists.

We have not yet entered to the heart of Karamoja though the above features have quickly introduced you to the land rich with a number of minerals such as Gold, diamond and silver.

This is the region characterized by thorny plants and grasses. The savanna becomes green with the first rains that start in the early April and dries up in the late October

But we are still in Napak a baby district caved out of Moroto five years ago and our next stopover after Teso region is Iririr, Matany and Kangole all in Napak before you enter Moroto town.

“Are we safe to play loud music when we traveling to a place known for road ambushes?” Ivan Mukasa, who sat next to me asked. I later learnt that Mukasa was visiting Karamoja for the very first time.

“We are safe hundred percent,” assured Mukasa like I was a security operative who can make such an assurance. The other people in the vehicle looked reluctant and my reply was an obvious to them.

Our journey was characterized with light and heavy rain so we were able to reach Moroto town, free of dust.

The dry session is very windy, and there is no surface water, except for puddles left over from the rainy season which quickly dries up.
 

Katanga slum not of Kampala welcomes one to a mother district (Moroto) of Karamoja surrounded with beautiful steep hills and mountains.

The town centre is bustling with a number of activities, honkers, boda boda men and vendors of news papers doing their day to day work.  

The famous places in Moroto are Campswhali, African Quarters, Katanga, Singila and Acholin are the suburbs surrounding Moroto town.

There night clubs that has not left this town sleeping when it’s dark because people who love partying utilize the facilities for enjoying themselves.

My one day in Karamoja made me to understand that there are two types of settlement that include permanent and temporal.

Moroto town is covered with permanent houses while in the villages its semi permanent locally called Manyatas. Permanent houses are mostly built in town areas but in the villages it’s dominated by Manyatas.

Granaries and corrals to contain sheep and goats and temporal shelters for people (Manyatas) are the features that welcome you to the villages in Karamoja.

Cattle are a key element of Karamojong culture. They are highly valued both in economic and social terms.

Milk, blood, and meat provide sustenance; fat is both a food and a cosmetic; urine is used as a cleanser; hides make sleeping skins, shoulder capes, skirts, bell collars, sandals among others.

A typical Karamojong elder drinking blood in a calabash in Napak district. Photo By Godfrey Ojore

 

Significant numbers of the people of Karamoja belong to and attend both the Catholic and Anglican Churches.

However with time Baptist and PAG churches are also coming up in the area, there has been a small population of Muslim Karamojong as well also.

Since government conducted a successful disarmament the area is peaceful with no sounds of gunshots or even seeing anyone holding a gun.

“You can move in Karamoja at any time of the day or night without anything happening to you,” said Capt. Jimmy Omara the UPDF spokesperson.

Felix Nixon Ejonu a resident of Moroto entirely agrees with Capt. Omara, saying that movement in Moroto town stopped at 7pm.

“Killing was the order of the day here. I assure you that you could not complete your journey from Soroti to Moroto without being attacked or met a track that the worries ambushed,” Ejonu said.

The LC5 of Moroto Mark Aol Musooka said that Moroto is the best place for any visitor to pay a visit.

 “Karamoja is the best place to be because of the existing peace in the region. We move in any part of the region without fear,” Aol explained.

Karamojong women walking to the market in Moroto town. Photo By Godfrey Ojore

 

Places to visit in Karamoja: Initially Moroto was the only district in the entire Karamoja but over the years the region was spilt into many districts.

Six districts have been carved out of Moroto brining now a total of seven districts in Karamoja sub-region.

They include Napak, Abim, Kotido, Kaabong, Amudat and Nakapiripirt districts. The famous places that tourists flock are.

Kidepo national park is one of the famous tourist attractions in the entire Karamoja sub-region. Kidepo is found in Kaabong, a district that boarders South Sudan from the north.

Besides Kidepo, the tourists flock for mountain climbing at Mt. Moroto and Mt. Kadam in Nakapiripirit.

Rupa sub-county in Moroto is also famous for being a place where gold is mined from. The visitors are also attracted to the unique style of semi permanent houses locally called Manyatas. .