Hunger: Over 274 K’jong girls ‘rescued’ in Agago

2026-03-16 - 08:48

More than 274 school-going girls from Karamoja have been returned to their home district after being found working as casual labourers in Agago district in search of food. The girls, aged between five and 16 years and mostly from neighbouring Kotido district, had reportedly migrated to Agago due to hunger and were scattered across several sub-counties, including Lapirin, Adani, Odokomit and Acuru. Local leaders said the children, mainly from Rikitia and Lodera villages in Panyagara sub-county in Kotido, were working in people’s gardens in exchange for food or small payments. Some of the girls were reportedly hired to dig gardens for about Shs 4,000 per day, while others were paid in kind with sorghum. The matter was discussed by the Agago district security committee, which resolved that the girls be returned to their homes to prevent exploitation and safeguard their future. James Nabinson Kidega, the Agago resident district commissioner, said the girls were among more than 500 women and children who had travelled from Kotido to seek casual labour but were left stranded without adequate food, medical care and other basic needs. Kidega said Agago authorities contacted leaders in Kotido district, who agreed to receive the children back. “With support from the division commanders of the 5th and 3rd divisions, we secured transport to return these women and children safely to Kotido,” Kidega said. He added that the group was transported on Sunday using military vehicles provided by the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) and escorted to Kotido district headquarters, where they were handed over to district leaders. Kidega attributed the movement of women and children to poverty and urged leaders in both the Acholi and Karamoja sub-regions to address the underlying economic challenges. According to the 2023/24 Household Survey by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), released in May 2025, Karamoja remains Uganda’s poorest region, with poverty levels rising to 74.2 per cent from 65 per cent. The chairperson of Kotido district, Paul Lote Komol, said the district leadership has already petitioned the government for humanitarian support to address food shortages in the region. Komol said he had written to the prime minister and the minister for Disaster Preparedness requesting emergency food aid to support vulnerable children and families affected by hunger. He noted that the food shortage threatens the ability of families to participate in the upcoming planting season. Meanwhile, efforts to rescue vulnerable children are also ongoing in other parts of Karamoja. In February 2026, authorities in Napak district began implementing a 2022 district council resolution aimed at rescuing street-connected children from Kampala and other urban centres. Since 2024, at least 682 children have been rescued and rehabilitated to benefit from the government’s Universal Primary Education (UPE) programme. However, officials estimate that about 3,000 children are still living on the streets and awaiting rescue.