So, should many people die of hunger so that a meeting is initiated?

An elderly man who is in need of food. Many people in Teso are affected.

Faces of frail and emaciated people welcome you to the villages of Teso. They are not diagnosed with any disease as such except hunger. Many have succumbed to it and more are yet to follow suit.

The issue of hunger in Teso is not an emergency because everybody saw it coming way back in 2016, due to unreliable rains.

Leaders at the lower level started sounding warning bells to leaders in the district and those at the national level but at a small scale. It was mainly the opposition parish and sub-county councilors raising these issues on local radio stations. Many times these local leader’s views were rubbished by those who claim they are ‘in things’.

As time went by the situation forced the state minister for disaster preparedness and refugees Musa Ecweru to disclose to the State owned local newspaper Etop that four people had died in Teso due to hunger. That was in November 2016.

Some of the National televisions paid a visit to some parts of Teso and interviewed relatives of those who succumbed to hunger related illness in Serere district.

Another national television reported of how Katakwi people had resorted into eating wild leaves but many rubbished it on grounds that it’s normal to eat Ecomai even when those who claim so had last eat it more than 20 years ago.

They were even commenting in their well-furnished sitting rooms while drinking bottled water that people who were feasting on bitter Ecomai could not afford breakfast.

Top leaders in Teso right from LC5s, MPs, Teso affairs minister and Emorimor kept quite as if all was well. What emerged clearly is that the majority of our leaders who subscribe to the ruling party were not confortable from issuing comments on hunger situation.

The situation in Teso was worse than that of Isingiro because death cases were first recorded in region before Isingiro.

However when cattle started dying in Isingiro, the leaders there made a loud alarm calling on government to come to their rescue. Indeed the region got relief food.

Minister Ecweru was sent by his senior colleague Eng. Hilary Onek to oversee the distribution of relief food. With full knowledge of how bad the situation back home was, Ecweru had little to do.

The voices on the ground were silent to give Ecweru a backing. The local people in Teso believe that Ecweru is responsible for relieve and he should send them the food.

They are not aware that Ecweru is the minister for Uganda not for Teso or his home district Amuria where he represents as Member of Parliament.

Four month down the road, the voices of few leaders have now surfaced after many fatalities have been recorded. MPs are preparing to meet this week to discuss about hunger situation but the LC5s are yet to meet over the same.

So, should many people die of hunger so that a meeting is initiated? Were MPs and other leaders in Teso not aware of hunger so that they come now to meet? Why meet now, is it because you have realized “a reasonable” number of the dead?

Even when hunger is at its peak in Teso our minister for Teso affairs is silent. Our Papa Emorimor is more quite. What does that mean?

The media has for the past weeks been trying to high light the plight of the people but many times the media houses that go deeper reporting about such issues are victimized and branded opposition.

Certainly this article has added me also on the list of opposition. I am happy to be called so. My prayers is that if those in “things” can come to the rescue of my parents, sisters and friends who are preparing to sleep on empty stomachs I will be the happiest.

Government allocated disaster ministry shs 10b to buy relief. They sought that money was even much because they looked at Karamoja, Teso and Western.

To the shock of government the entire nation is in crisis of food. Leaders who should have raised this matter early kept quite saying there was no cause for alarm. A basin of cassava in Arapai market in Soroti district costs 30,000 up from 15,000.

Without going to talk about other regions let me concentrate with my home affairs (Teso). Teso leaders need to be brave enough to tell government the truth. It should be timly not waiting until many are dead.

When MP Peter Ogwang made an alarm over Hepatitis B in Katakwi through the media, it took Katakwi one week to get vaccines.

Government works when there is pressure otherwise government will take its time just like in our case today.

Irrespective of our party colors let us always be talking one voice on common issues that affect our people. Emuria Koliai.